Blood Countess: Vein Deep
by Aya Faulkner
Summary: (Sequel to Blood Countess) Secrets come to light and Serena has learned how to cope, with both her fears and without Darien. There is still more to come, a darkness that dwells deep in blood and soon it will be Serena's blood that everyone fears the most. (Spoilers in Reviews!) Rated M for Violence, language, and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

Alright Lovelies, here it is the ever anticipated (at least I hope so) sequel to Blood Countess. Given the years in between the first story and the overall issues with it (I wrote it a long time ago and have since upped my game on the writing scene), I do not blame those of you for not wanting to go back and read it. So I have included a summary. It holds the important info but not the great details. If it sounds good to you, I sincerely suggest you go read it. Just muddle through the grammatical issues. I stand by my character and plot choices, they are good.

Thanks in huge heaps to my amazing Betas, whom of which, I would be lost without! **Beej88 and Ninjette Twitch** , two fabulous fanfiction writers that you need to check out if you have not already!

Also, a heads up, got this beauty for you all this month for October but also a few more Halloween pieces heading your way soon. The Hot and Heavy Chronicles, found on **Ninjette Twitch's page** , will include some amazing Halloween themed chapters, a few by me and the rest by some _truly incredible writers_. And another surprise fic coming to you for Halloween, a team effort by **Ninjette Twitch** **and I** that will be revealed closer to the holiday. I just love Halloween!

* * *

 **Summary** : Serena, 16, is your average everyday teenager. A bit klutzy and naive, but sweet and caring. Everything her long standing bully, Darien, 18, is not. String, popular, and boy genus, it was hard to live up to his shadow. Things weren't always that way. Darien use to be her best friend. The day after they shared their first kiss, changing their relationship, he dropped her and didn't speak to her again for years. One day, unable to stand "not knowing" one another any more, Serena snapped at him and thus her bully was born.

As Halloween approaches and her parents go out of town, Serena looks forward to a long weekend alone with her friends. The day of her new found freedom, Serena meets a strange man called Nicholas, one that Darien does not like (for how he looks at Serena). He invites all of her friends to a party in which they agree to attend, including Darien and Andrew. Everything is fine until Amy is found in a daze as if she has been drugged. The next day, Mina is attacked by a wild dog in the park. All the while, Serena keeps seeing strange and terrifying things that don't make sense, nightmares while she sleeps and when she is awake. After Rei is attacked by a strange beast, Serena starts to see that what she has been seeing all this time may have been more than a dream. To top it all off, Darien keeps demonstrating strange acts of strength that has Andrew questioning his friend.

Determined to keep Serena safe, Darien does some research, taking Andrew with him to the strange and vast Library his secretive Uncle keeps. An orphan at a young age, he had been left in the care of his Aunt and Uncle, cold and withdrawn people who never spent any time with him. The only time Darien ever got any reaction out of his Uncle was the day he caught him and Andrew snooping around that Library. It was full of strange texts about urban legends and ghost stories, a very strange collection for a man of science or doctor that his Uncle Michael is. There he finds Vampires and informs Rei, Serena, and Andrew as Lita, Ami, and Mina have all gone missing. The foursome is then attacked and although Darien is strangely able to fight a couple of them off, although Andrew gets the shit kicked out of him. Serena agrees to go with them to save her friends, her being the target from the beginning. Nicholas' and the Vampire nest's master, the Countess, has taken a particular interest in Serena and her special, virginal, blood. Serena is taken to a dungeon within the basement of the large home of the vampire nest., where Lita is being held, her blood almost completely drained. Her blood is taken but when drank, it causes the Nicholas to get violently ill and vomit. This freaks him out in which he releases Serena and Lita and runs from the room saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

Meanwhile, Darien and Rei carry a beaten Andrew back to Darien's place where they confront his Uncle Michael for answers. It is then that Michael reveals the truth behind their family, that they are the descendants of Van Helsing. And that the blood that runs through their veins gives them the ability to fight demons and evil. All of this is the reason Darien's parents were killed, to get revenge against their family and his Uncle specifically. Serena and Lita are caught trying to flee by Mina and Amy, their blood red eyes telling them they were now Vampires and devoted servants to the Countess. She leaves killing Serena to Amy and Mina. Darien, Michael, and Rei are able to stop them before they kill her, leaving her badly injured, a knife stuck in her chest inches from her heart. Mina and Amy get away with the Countess.

While in the hospital, Michael runs tests on Serena as she heals far too quick for a human and finds strange results. Darien agrees to leave with his Uncle to train to become a full fledged Hunter, all to protect Serena. But he must leave her behind, breaking her heart to do so.

Okay so maybe that got your interest? If not, all you need to know for part 2 is, Something is strange about Serena and you will find out here what it is. And that Darien and Serena have been 'together' for a long time, Darien always drawn to her and needing to protect her any way that he can. She was there when he woke up in the hospital (his parents murdered by Vampires and him compelled to forget it all) and they were one another's first kiss. He breaks off their 'friendship' because he fears he brings her down, unworthy of her. This whole run in with Vampires brings them back together, lots of romantic scenes in there for you, but in the end, he has to leave her again so he can get stronger and protect her, given what she is.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

" _We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell."_

― _**Oscar Wilde**_

It was a perfect night. The fog was rolling off the sea, covering the ground with a thick mist. The moon shone brightly above, lighting up the beach for all to see, not that he needed such things. He could see just fine, regardless and what he saw was her, clear as day.

Her blonde hair was tied up tight, exposing her lovely neck to him. It was enough to make him salivate at the sight. She started to strip, pulling off every piece of clothing she had on and tossing it into a pile behind her, adding to the one that was already there. Then she bounced out into the water, her lover waiting for her. He could care less about him, it was her that he craved this night. She was his one desire.

He went from the cliff he stood on to the beach in a heartbeat and watched the two of them unseen from the sand. A few moments later, they both came out of the water, shivering and grabbing up their clothes quickly. It wasn't until they were completely clothed again that they noticed him and to his delight, they both jumped in fear.

"Who the fuck are you?"

He remained silent, letting their fear rise to its peak before answering. "I am Death."

The boy threw the girl behind him, the valiant type. He hated them. "What do you want?"

His laugh rang out over the empty beach. "I want her of course," he narrowed his eyes dangerously at the boy, pulling him into his control. "You will give her to me and go drown yourself in the water."

His eyes went blank and his body slack, releasing the girl while she whimpered, frozen by her fear. This boy was far too easy. It almost took all the fun out of it. She just watched him as he left her alone and walked back into the water, clothes and all. She screamed when his head disappeared under the waves. He did not come up again.

Now he had her full attention, her eyes wide on him. He slowly approached her and she didn't move an inch, either out of fear or knowing. Knowing she would never escape him even if she tried.

A tear or two slipped out, running down her face, and he wiped it away for her. "Now, now. It won't be all bad, my dear."

With a single movement, he ripped her clothes from her, scattering them to the wind. Taking her into his arms, she began to shake, her fear taking control of her body completely. He just smiled, lowering his mouth to her neck.

She let out a strangled cry as his fangs broke her skin, tasting slightly of salt.

She sprang up in bed, her heart racing while sweat dripped down her neck and back. The dream was forgotten as soon as she opened her eyes but now she recognised the signs. A nightmare. Another one.

She'd been having more and more lately, ones that she never remembered, slipping from her thoughts as her eyes blinked from the bright sunlight.

This had happened before, five years ago, and she shuddered at the thought, the memory of it all bringing her nothing but pain.

The sun's light danced across her face at an angle she still wasn't used to. Serena had been living there for almost a year now and yet, at times, she forgot her new surroundings. The bed creaked below her. It was an old, supercheap, bed that she found online. Its white metal frame twisted and swirled up the pale pink wall, the only one of four that shade, making up the headboard as it did at the foot of the bed as well. The small twin bed fit well in her small room, taking up most of the space.

It didn't matter how small it was. It was her room. HERS. No matter how many times she said it, it still didn't feel real.

A not so gentle knock came at her door and Rei stuck her head in looking right at her. "Serena, if you don't get up soon, you're going to be late!"

"I'm up! I'm up!"

Her alarm hadn't even gone off yet and already Rei was bugging her! It's not like she had any reason to doubt her; she hadn't been late to anything in….two years now? There must have been something in the air, something bothering Rei and putting her on edge.

The long tank top that she had slept in had ridden up her stomach, to which she pulled down after she put on a pair of sweatpants. She clipped her toe on the small bedside table that sat by her bed near the door, knocking the small lamp that sat on top of it over, along with the lotion and chapstick helter skelter. Letting out a few curses, she turned to her desk, sitting on the wall in a corner adjacent to the foot of her bed, and grabbed her ear buds. She had to dig them out from under books and papers and unplug them from her little laptop. Even as big of a mess as it was, her desk would have been a sight that made Ami proud.

She had to fight back the tears at the thought of her lost blue-haired friend. Even after five years of searching and never giving up, they'd found little trace of her or Mina.

She stepped out into their living room. Whatever Lita was cooking in the kitchen had her salivating already. Rei sat in the middle of the living room floor meditating, a large map of the city in front of her. She made her way to the door, ready to start her usual routine for the day as well.

Their living room/kitchen combo was stuffed with a beautiful combination of all three of them. There were green plants that filled the back half close to the windows from Lita's old place along with her dining table; it was a small but thick set with dark wood and deep scratches. Rei's grandfather donated their couch. She was pretty sure it had been in storage most of its life, the bright floral print looking almost new. The arm chairs next to it were a sidewalk find, someone putting them out even though they looked perfectly fine. They even managed to get a coffee table. It was used but still pretty. The apartment itself was a loft, a huge one. Given that it could only bolster itself as a one bedroom, though, the rent was fairly low given its size and location. It was a short walk or tram to each of their colleges.

Rei attended Ochanomizu University where she was double majoring in theology and law. The two, she felt, clashed terribly, but Rei seemed to be making it work.

Lita attended TSUJI Culinary Institute and every week it was a new study of food that they all had to help her with it by means of tasting; she wasn't complaining.

Meanwhile, she proudly attended Todai or University of Tokyo. Her studies were focused on education as her major but she was minoring in Folklore as well. It seemed like a strange combination but when you look at childhood development and fairytales, they can blend at times. Besides, the Folklore was more like a hobby or rather an interest. And they all had it. She would find something...interesting and share it with the girls who would listen with rapt attention.

Rei also added to the obsession, bringing in scrolls and documents from when she visited the shrine. They all alluded to the same things; devils, demons, and monsters.

The dirt felt so good under her shoes as her feet pounded the ground. That was the other amazing thing about their apartment; it was a quick jog to a long greenway. The music blasted through her headphones, fully drowning out the noises of the world around her.

She passed a few other early risers as she ran, all giving her a nod. They were the same runners she passed every day since they'd moved in. First, it was a short, stodgy man. His remaining gray hair a crown around the rest of his bald head. Next, it was the beauty queen, her thick, brown hair bouncing in its perfect ponytail along with her perfect breast in her tiny tank top. And last but not least was the impossibly thin boy, around 16-17, who looked as if he was practicing running from someone or something.

If she let herself, she could really imagine she was running through thick woods, far away from the hum of the busy city that surrounded her.

Running had always been a release for her, having taken it up years ago. Her parents had thought she had lost her mind and so did she at first. But once she hit her stride, her parents did as well, leaving her alone and never questioning her again. They must have seen her need for relief just as much as she felt it.

Everything had changed since that one Halloween week five years ago. Her life had changed into something hard and cold; monsters existed. If that wasn't enough to rock her once stable existence, she'd lost two dear friends along with Darien in one short week.

 _Darien._

She hadn't heard from him since the day he'd left when he'd basically told her that she was a burden; not worthy of the world he now existed in.

The ache in her heart was long gone now, turning into something hard, crystallizing her heart. She preferred it that way. No more pain. Her friends didn't, however, and they continuously set her up on dates. It was probably how she'd earned the nickname 'Ice Queen' by the end of high school. If any of them had known the true story, they would have commended her for even showing up to school.

The trail came to an end, signaling the halfway point of her run. Hunching over, she stopped for a short break to catch her breath. Ragged breaths peeled in and out of her mouth when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. There was movement off the path.

It was a flicker, really. A few of the short trees wiggled and swayed from something pushing up against them. Standing up straight, she pulled her ear buds out in one swift move and searched the trees for the source of the movement. Her senses on edge, she readied herself.

A deer hopped out in front of her, it's fur almost golden in the early morning sun. The sight was both majestic and queer, given that they were still in the middle of the large city. The greenway was in no way large enough or private enough to house a deer.

It stood frozen, looking at her as she did the same. She stayed as still as she could, expecting that with the slightest movement it would soon get spooked and high-tail it out of there. Her breath held and she watched as it walked even closer to her, sniffing the air for danger. It was inches away from her. She took a risk and slowly stretched out her hand. The deer still did not flee. Her hand was just about to touch its flank when it turned to something behind it and leaped back into the brush a second before a laboring jogger rounded the corner.

* * *

It was really late as she squatted in some bushes with Andrew by her side. This would normally be a romantic moment; moonlight above them, brushes blocking them from the view of others. Unfortunately, they had work to do.

"Okay, babe, you're up!" Andrew gave her a quick peck on the cheek before she left their hiding spot to enter the small clearing of the park.

Serena had gotten a "sign" earlier that day, telling her to check the place out. It was strange because Rei was usually the one who got the visions about where they should be. But Serena was sure. Now she stood a few feet away at the end of the greenway's jogging path bathed in moonlight. No matter how many times they did this over the past four years, she still got tremors of fear throughout her body.

The sight of Serena was truly one to behold, something she also never got used to. Her hair glowed in the bright light of the moon. She held a long thin sword in her two small hands and, at the sight of Lita, she disappeared into the darkness. Even with her out of sight, she knew Serena would never let anything bad happen to her and was watching her closely.

She moved deeper into the opening, making sure to make as much noise as possible. It wasn't long until a creeping went up her spine, a sign that things were about to begin.

Coming up from behind, something grabbed onto her wrist, holding her still. Its sharp claws were dangerously close to piercing her skin, her eyes drawn to the sight of the long talons that stretched out near her hand.

Andrew bounded out of their former hiding hole, hitting the creature with all his might. He held his favorite weapon, a heavy metal bat that had crosses pounded into it. He washed it with holy water after every battle. It wasn't the strongest of weapons but it gave him a kick, and he could actually wield it, which was not the case with many of the weapons they were given. The bat had also kept him alive thus far, the hit he gave it causing it to kilter slightly, but remain firm in his hold on her.

Rei stood nearby, slowly circling her and the creature that held her tight. Incantations were spilling out of her mouth as she moved, locking it into place for Serena to make her move. The creature screamed, releasing her and for the first time, she got a good look at it.

It was an ugly son of a bitch, with long claws and fangs, both yellowed from age and rot. Its skin was bloated and blubbery, the color of rust, shaking for several seconds everytime it moved. It had four eyes and all of them were now trained on her. Rei's spell would trap it but not freeze it, she needed to get out of there.

Its thick arm found her face before she could make a move away from it and sent her flying across the clearing, landing with a thud. It hurt, but she'd received worse. It distracted Andrew, who was now looking at her instead of watching his footing.

"Andrew! Look out!" but her words were too late.

The creature lifted Andrew up by his leg, dangingly him above the ground like a wet napkin. It readied its claws, planning to impale Andrew through the chest.

Her scream stuck in her chest as she watched on in horror.

Her eyes not leaving Andrew's wide ones, she waited helplessly for his death. But it never came. Slowly, she took her eyes from him and placed them back on the creature, who was now missing its head. It all happened so fast, the creature still held Andrew up in the air. But reality soon kicked in, causing the body to drop and Andrew along with it.

Serena stood to the side, dark blood covering her blade. With one swift movement, she flicked the black liquid onto the ground next to her, not a care in the world for the lifeless body that she had just struck down.

Lita had never told anyone this, but Serena scared her sometimes.

She helped Andrew back to his feet while Rei and Serena lit the motionless body on fire, throwing salt on it as it burned. Something they'd learned after much trial and error.

"Any idea what that was?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but it would haunt her dreams tonight regardless.

Rei didn't look up from her work. "No clue, but it was a nasty one."

Andrew rubbed her chilled arms. Even in the warm summer night, she'd managed to get goose flesh all over her. It was probably from her blood running cold at their near screw-up.

Serena turned to the two of them, a slight glare in her eyes. "I think we need to revisit the idea of me doing this alone."

Andrew took a step towards Serena. "No! I told you! As long as you are going to do this, we are going to help. We are all in this together."

She took a cue from him, "Unless you stop, neither will we."

Rei came to Serena's defense, "We don't have much choice, given that our resident Hunter left town years ago and has yet to show his face again."

Lita wasn't sure if Rei was talking about Darien or his Uncle Michael. Either way, no one had seen or heard from the two of them in years. She looked over at Serena for a reaction, but Serena's face had long since stopped crumpling at the mention of him. It was another thing that made her fear and worry about her dear friend.

The job well done, or well enough, the four of them went back to their place. The apartment had been a blank slate when they moved in. It had a kitchen and a bathroom that was closed off but that was it. There were stairs and a loft that was supposed to be a bedroom but it barely gave room to stand in. It was truly meant for sleeping and nothing else. The girls decided to turn it into lounge or movie spot but they rarely used it these days.

They'd managed to scrape and save for the room dividers that now made up each of their rooms but for a while, they lived together like it was one big room. She almost missed that. It was like one big slumber party.

Serena's room was the closest to the door, almost under the loft. It shared a wall of the building, just like all of their rooms did, giving them each a solid wall and at least one window. Her room was near the kitchen, in the middle. Rei's was at the back, in the corner, giving her two real walls and a big window.

They all sat at the large island that 'divided' the kitchen from the living room, but you could easily jump from one of the stools that sat at it to the couch. She knew cause they had all done it one day when they had first moved in during a game of Truth or Dare.

The island held the sink and a small hot top that was their stove top. With only two elements, it hindered her cooking a little, but she had to get used to working with less if she wanted to be truly successful.

She washed her hands and busied herself with cooking, something to calm her nerves. She wasn't even sure what she was making. She was on autopilot as she listened to the rag-tag Hunter team debrief. It didn't matter what she made, anyway. They would eat it.

"Maybe Lita and Andrew shouldn't work as a team anymore," Serena suggested. She was clearly still shaken up at the near loss of their male companion.

Rei nodded, "Andrew is pretty good at the incantations. He has the ear and the tongue for them. He could help me with that."

Andrew held up his hands in protest. "Whoa, whoa. Don't you have to be a mage or Priestess for that to work?"

Rei shook her head, "You just have to have pure intentions and a level head. I will teach you."

Serena seemed satisfied, keeping them both in the game for a while longer. Neither her nor Andrew really wanted anything to do with Hunting but with Serena and Rei leading their own way into the battles, they couldn't just stand around and watch them get hurt or killed!

It all started a few months after the Countess and her freaks attacked them. Serena changed. She started disappearing for hours only to pop back up all energized and excited. She started running and both she and Rei noticed the changes to her body. Her baby fat disappeared, giving way to toned muscles and leaner legs and arms. She even got rid of her buns! They would reappear every now and then but she did not wear them every day like she used to.

Had you asked anyone five years ago if Serena would get in and go to college, they would have laughed. It was like Darien leaving had sobered Serena up. She seemed to be preparing for something, even if she wasn't sure what it was. She used to think Serena was bettering herself for when Darien returned. But as the weeks faded into months and then years, she could see that Serena had given up on that dream. Now she worked hard at everything she touched, making it her life's mission to make the world a better place.

She hated to admit it, given the sweet girl that Serena used to be, but now….she was kind of a badass. It was good; good for Serena and good for their cause. But it made her sad to see the 'nothing but bubbles and sunshine' girl fade away.

But every now and then the old Serena stuck her head out of her hole. "You guys wanna have a party here?" They all looked at her a bit surprised, the old Serena resurfacing again. "I just thought we could have like a housewarming party."

They'd been living in the loft for several months now. They'd gotten the security deposit with help from Serena's parents, even though her father had been very reluctant, and Rei's grandfather. They'd had very little for furniture and it had taken them awhile to get the place in the shape that it was, which she thought looked pretty good, especially given their budget. So they had not had a lot of people over all at once, not even for a housewarming.

She brightened at the idea. "I could practice my appetizers and drink recipes?"

With a silent smile from Rei, it was a done deal. Serena squealed with delight and they all enjoyed the moment with the old Serena.

* * *

Social media had made life so much easier at times. She didn't really care much for it. She found it mostly just reminded her of how little her life had at the time. Friends from high school posted pictures of engagement rings and of houses they had bought. It seemed like everyone from her old life was in a hurry, getting associate degrees or going to work for their parents, if that was an option. Getting married and settling down. It made her feel even more restless.

She made the event, their housewarming, and invited family along with the few friends from high school she cared to see like Molly.

Looking over the guest list, it wasn't very long but she didn't care. She wasn't too sure she wanted many people here anyways. Lita and Rei were sure to invite more people, except they would probably do it face to face.

It wasn't that she wasn't a social person, she always had been, she just didn't make life long connections anymore. It gave her less to lose in the future. But she was always up for meeting new people and having a good time.

She had finished her run, taken a shower, dressed, and sent out the invites. Her morning had been very productive.

Grabbing up her book bag, heavy with books and notes, she made her way to school. She had just left the gate, squeaking and popping as she pulled it secure behind her, and stepped down onto the sidewalk when she heard it.

"Serena?"

It was weak and soft and if she had already put her headphones in, there was no way she would have heard it.

She whirled around on one foot, ready for action. But found only a slip of a person before her. They were covered in dirt, head to toe, and looked to be having trouble standing. They appeared to be female and that was truly the only clue she had at the moment. Her clothes were worn as if they had been wearing the same outfit for weeks without a shower and a change. And her hair was long, to the point that it dragged on the ground, turning it into a dark nasty color.

Looking behind the person, she could see another figure, sitting up against the wall of her building not far away. Homeless people?

"Serena? Is that you?"

The voice came out as a whisper again, clearly the person was having a hard time getting anything to come out of her dry throat.

She studied the creature before her hard. "Do I know you?" The shadow that fell on their face slipped away as they took a closer step. Through the caked on dirt and filth, she saw her. "Mina…."

Now she was whispering. The girl before began to shake, tears falling hard down her cheeks, doing nothing for the dirt on them. She took another step towards her, causing Serena to take a step backward.

Confusion twisted Mina's still beautiful face, "Serena? It's me."

She glanced behind Mina again at the figure on the ground. They were staring at the ground, but she could now see the blue hair clear as day, "Ami?"

The bluenette turned her attention upwards, her eyes wide with fear and confusion but she still gave Serena a small, sweet smile.

She looked back at Mina, who was still trying to understand why her friend was being so distant. Serena looked hard into her eyes. They were bloodshot, from lack of sleep or crying or both, but they were bright blue once again.

The dirt and smell from the woman she now recognized as her long lost friend no longer bothered her in the least. Closing the gap between them, she grabbed onto Mina hard, as if her life depended on it. Refusing to let go, she pulled Mina back towards Ami to collect her as well. She quickly helped Ami to her feet and began ushering them into her home. The two of them were silent, even as they climbed the many stairs up to the apartment. She had so many questions, where had they been, how did they find her. The questions kept piling up in her mind creating a muddled mess, making it hard for her to focus on one at a time.

When they finally had the door closed behind them, she turned to watch their faces, still not sure they were real. "What happened? How are you two here now?"

Ami was still silent as if in shock. Mina continued to whisper, "We don't know. We can't remember anything."

* * *

Well? Anyone going back to check out the first part yet? Hope you liked it so far. Next chapter to be posted ASAP!


	2. Chapter 2

_Here we are again! Thank you all for your support and I am so glad to continue this series for all fo you! I_ sincerely _hope you all enjoy this next chapter!_

 _As per usual, a big shout out to my two beautiful betas Beej88 and Ninjette Twitch! Twitch just posted another chapter to her H and H Chronicles and it is hot. Not just saying that cause I wrote it either...oh wait, yes I am! Make sure you check out the original Hot and Heavy first, it will explain the Chronicles a bit more! And make sure you check out Beej88's Twist in Time and Two Worlds Collide. Both great reads and we are all waiting with baited breath for the next chapter of Collide. I just know it is going to be great!_

 _Also, I have a Tumblr page now so check me out! As of now, I have three followers lol, but if you guys want to follow me, I might start posting extras and update info there for all of you! As of now, the people following me know these things already so it would be redundant HA! Just look for Faulkner or Aya Faulkner and you should find me. Hope to see you there!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

" _People who cease to believe in God or goodness altogether still believe in the devil... Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult."_

― _**Anne Rice**_ _,_ _ **Interview with the Vampire**_

The two of them didn't even care, taking a shower together, they wanted to be clean more than they cared about being modest with one another. More proof of all that they had been through together.

She was checking on them periodically as they took turns under the water. Lita and Rei had both just returned, she had called them stating an emergency. She didn't dare tell them what it was, part of her was sure she was going to wake from this dream any minute now and find them gone.

Leaving for her room to get the two of them some clothes, she heard the front door open and Rei and Lita enter together.

"Serena?...Are you taking a shower?"

She rushed out, clothes fisted in her hands, stopping Lita from opening the bathroom door. "Shhh!"

"What the hell Serena? Who's in the shower?"

She led them away from the door of the bathroom and to the living room. "You guys should sit down."

They looked at her like she had lost it and rightfully so. The water turned off and the door squealed as it slowly opened. Her words left her at the sight of the two of them once again. Now clean and looking even more like their old selves, it was just as unsettling as it had been on the street, if not more. Mina and Ami stood just outside the bathroom door, towels wrapped tightly around themselves, frozen in everyone's stare.

She heard a thud and turned to find Lita on the ground, passed out.

vVv

She went to work on their hair, combing and cutting them so they looked as close to their old style as possible. Rei noted the bumps and scrapes on both of them, the two had been through a lot to get here. But what really caught her attention was the existence of the damage at all. Both of them were human again and had been for a while now. The length of their hair was proof of that.

It defied logic in a beautifully mesmerizing way and, as she laid her hands on the now soft hair of her two dear friends, she was sure she didn't care how it happened.

Lita was in the kitchen, putting something together for the two of them to eat. The banging was the only noise in the apartment as everyone was staring at one another in amazement.

Serena was the first to break the silence. "So what do you guys remember?"

Mina looked up, "Paris."

"Paris?"

Mina nodded, speaking for herself and the catatonic Ami. "That was the first thing we realized, we were in Paris, in the sewers."

Rei clipped a long piece of Ami's now shoulder length hair away. "And before that?"

"We remember Halloween? Going to the party at that big house?"

Serena blanched. "Mina...that was five years ago…Do you remember anything between then and now?"

Both girls shook their heads in frustration as tears threatened both of them. Serena leapt off the chair she had been sitting on and crouched before the two of them on the couch.

"It's okay, hey it's okay. We will figure this all out. For now, we are just so happy you are home!"

Lita placed food before the two girls and they all hugged the two of them before releasing them to eat. Serena signaled for them to move away and talk.

"How is this even possible?" Lita asked as softly as she could muster.

They both looked to her in their tight huddle. "I will do some research at the temple."

"Okay good, I'll look through the 'library' and see what I can find."

Both Lita and herself knew what library Serena was talking about. However, other than Serena, she was the only one who had seen it. Rei never liked that Serena was going over there but it had been very helpful. It seemed to give Serena purpose when she had none. She had been quite the wreck after Darien left, not that she could blame her. Her disappearing for several hours every day for years was worrisome for them though, fearing the worst for a long time. Then Serena started to get better so none of them continued to question it. It wasn't too long before she figured out just where Serena was going and what she was doing.

Rei wasn't sure if they would find the answers they were looking for but it was worth a shot. The living room got quiet and they all looked to see the two girls had finished their food and fallen asleep.

Lita moved towards them. "I'll stay here with them, keep an eye on them."

With that, her and Serena left the two slumbering miracles on the couch and went in search of answers.

vVv

Five years ago…

She stumbled out of his room, tears blinding her. She was sure her heart was going to tear through the still tender flesh on her chest. Somehow, this was worse than when he'd left her when they were kids. Maybe it was because, this time, she had known they were more. More than just friends. That they were in love, or at least she was. She was no longer sure about his feelings given the circumstances.

Doing her best, she made her way back to the elevator, craving freedom from this wasteland of a home. She refused to look up and see anything of his as she made her escape, she wanted as little memory of this moment as possible. She was almost free when two small bony hands grabbed her shoulders.

Their grip was strong and hard but not painful. Her mind told her to pull away but her heart couldn't find the strength, so she let herself be held back from the elevator by the evil grip.

"My husband is a fool. He doesn't see what I see." When she finally looked up, she found a woman. Her features were sharp and jagged, her shape coming to thin edges that only highlighted her intense look.

She continued, "All you need is some guidance and you will be something fearful to behold."

Given her appearance, she guessed she was Darien's Aunt. She had never met the woman before and had questioned her existence for years, but it was the only thing that made sense.

The woman handed her a card, "When you are ready, give me a call."

And she walked away, leaving her confused but free to get the hell out of this crazy place.

It took her three months of crying and laying in bed before curiosity caused her to cave. Pulling out the card from the strange woman and dialing the number etched on it, which only led her to a strange man's voice giving her a time to meet back at Darien's apartment.

The elevator dinged her arrival and the doors opened to reveal the same man who tried to kick her out the last time she was here. _Laurence maybe?_ He led her to a pair of double doors and slid one open for her. Inside the sun shone brightly across the white padded floor.

The room was like a large dojo, just like the ones she had only ever seen in movies. Weapons lined the walls and the woman sat in the middle of it all, looking at her expectantly. Taking in the sight of Darien's Aunt, she felt wrong, her clothing not matching the woman's in the slightest. Darien's Aunt wore black, tight athletic wear; a tank and a pair of capri tights leaving her feet bare. She removed her sneakers before daring to step into the room but that still left her in light blue jeans and a fuzzy pink sweater. Having been relieved of her coat at the door.

"I knew you would come eventually," the woman sneered.

"Even though I have no idea why I'm here."

Darien's Aunt approached her slowly but with purpose. She flung her fist out, knocking Serena in the gut and causing her to fly several inches before landing on her butt.

She looked up at the crazy woman in rage. "What the hell? What are you trying to do? Kill me?"

Serena squattled, managing to just barely make it to her feet from the woman's assault. The strange woman stood above, leaning over her still wearing her sneer. "Did that even hurt?"

She thought about it for a minute, noting that she felt a little pain but it was fading quickly. Slowly, she shook her head, confusion spreading across her face.

The woman just smiled. "I'm Diana but you will call me Master."

At first she only went because it was her only tie to Darien. After every training session, no matter how tired and beaten she was, she snuck over to his room before leaving. She laid on his bed, breathing in the lingering scent of him.

After a year had passed, though, the bed no longer smelled of him and she no longer ventured to his room; whatever was left there of him was completely gone now, his ghost having moved on. Now it was just an empty husk that only reminded her of her heart.

Training had been her only saving grace and no matter how hard Diana, Master, hit, cut, or threw her, she was fine by the time she got home. It was like none of it had ever happened. The only real noticeable difference from her training was her changing body. Her mother noticed that, commenting on the loss of her baby weight, saying that she was turning into a woman which only stressed her dad out even more. She did notice a few things getting tighter and that she was getting stronger.

The training began to slow, Master having her spend a large portion of the time in the 'library' studying the ancient text that it held.

The memory of it flitted through her mind as the elevator rose to the requested floor. Even though it was a small amount of books, after four years she still had yet to read a quarter of them. Most were in another language, forcing her to translate them which was what took most of her time. It was hard work, but she craved it. It was like a drug to her and she didn't really know why.

The doors opened and Master was waiting for her there.

They walked together towards the 'library'. "They just...showed up? No memories of the last five years? Completely human?"

"Well I didn't run any tests but yeah, they appear human."

Master gave her a concerned look. "Be careful and keep a close eye on them."

"I don't think that will be hard to do."

Master pulled a few books from the shelves, ones she must have thought would hold the answers. Diana had never given her any kind of backstory into her past. The woman was strong, not as strong as Darien or his Uncle. But there was some Hunter's blood in her veins, that much Serena could tell. How she came to be here or a part of the Van Helsings, she didn't know.

Serena had happened on a book about Hunters once. It was in Dutch and she wasn't sure if she had translated it correctly, but if she had, it said that Hunters were usually paired together through arranged marriages. It allowed for the Hunter bloodline to survive with few impurities.

She had wondered, since then, if Diana had been forced to marry Darien's Uncle. That still didn't explain to her or why Diana was helping her.

Her Master had become more than her trainer, she had become her confidant in all of this craziness. She relied on her so much, for information, training, and comfort in the hellish world she now belonged to. So much so, that she feared Darien's return. For if he ever did, she had no clue as to how it would affect their relationship, the two never talked about him or his Uncle. Save for the times Diana spoke of what fools they both were.

It had grown dark while she was in that small cramped room but she had still found nothing that even mentioned changing a Vampire back into a human. Her eyes blurred and burned as she tried to continue her search, protesting any kind of continuance. Giving up, she said a short 'goodbye' to Master and hit the bricks.

The dark empty streets didn't bother her as much as they might have five years ago. She enjoyed the solitude most of the time. If there had been people out, she would have to deal with the stares of men, and the occasional woman, as they checked out her bod. It only annoyed her to no end, not enjoying the feel of being eye candy in the least. That was not what her body was for.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, her internal warning system breaking her from her thoughts. Without another thought, she pulled out the small blade she had hidden at her waist. It was the same one that has once been stuck in her chest. Master had shown her the importance of it in one of her books when she had returned the weapon back to her. The blade had been blessed by a Goddess, or so the legend told; forged with one of the nails that held Christ to the cross and cooled in Holy water. The hilt was decorated with rubies from each of the Popes from 1856-1904. It was believed that, if thrust through the heart, it would end the existence of any creature, blessed or damned, without the need of salting or burning the remains.

She assumed this was the hope of the Countess, that she could kill her and move on with it all.

Now she held it in her hand, ready for whatever stepped out of the shadows. Nothing moved and everything became still and silent once more. She moved on but still felt uneasy as if she was being watched.

vVv

She didn't want to wreck her solitude. She'd gotten used to the silence that filled her home when Serena wasn't around but she had no choice in the matter.

She picked up her phone and pressed her speed dial. The ringing sounded strange and distant as it reached around the world to the phone it was calling.

After several rings, he picked up, his voice gruff and filled with irritation. It calmed and softened as soon as he heard her voice. "Diana? What's wrong?"

"Something is happening and I'm afraid it is beyond me. Something big, I can feel it. We need your help. It's time to come home Michael."

vVv

It was a week before Ami would speak and another week before either of them smiled. Neither had worked up the nerve to contact their families. They'd been 'missing' for so long, Mina's parents had packed up and moved to America. Ami's mom had stayed but had busied herself with work and rarely ever went home. They still had no answers; not on how they got here, where they had been, or how they were even alive.

The girls had decided not to tell them about their brush with the devil, even if it did trigger some memories. It was not worth the risk of hurting the poor girls by having them relive the nightmare of being monsters.

She took Ami on a tour of her college while Lita and Rei took Mina shopping. They both enjoyed the trips and it was the first time that either of them had left the apartment since they'd shown up out of the blue.

Ami sat next to her, attending a lecture on the development of a child's brain from age two to four when she leaned in to whisper to her. "It's amazing, isn't it? How quickly the brain picks up things? And how it can heal itself and relearn things after it is damaged?"

It was the first time Ami had sounded like herself and she almost cried in response. "Humans are incredibly resilient."

It had been quiet for weeks now, which was very uncommon. It seemed like they had been taking down devils at least once a week for well over two years now and, all of a sudden, it stopped. It was as if Ami and Mina's presence scared off all evil.

She welcomed the break with skepticism. The hairs on her neck had been going haywire all week and it was driving her mad. It seemed as though her alarm system was busted because every time it went off there was nothing around.

The tram gently rocked as it rocketed its way deeper into the city. The heat, even in the air conditioning, was causing her thighs to stick to the seat, making her wish she had braved the heat and worn jeans. The thin material of her shorts did nothing to guard her skin against the heated seats, warmed by the sun shining through the window. She could feel eyes on her, more than one set maybe, causing her to pull the small cardigan she was wearing a little tighter over her tank top.

Her headphones worked more as a barrier against unwanted attention but there was always at least one guy who didn't get the hint.

"Hey, gorgeous. How are you today?"

She kept her eyes focused on the book in her lap, pretending not to hear him. She knew if she ignored him long enough he would go away. That was until he removed her headphones for her without permission.

Out of reflex, she grabbed his hand and twisted it away from her, hard. He whimpered, tucking his tail between his legs like a dog.

He was looking at her face, fear evident, as she could feel the fire burn hotly in her eyes, "It's not nice to touch people without their permission." she growled.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you're right. I went too far."

She was still holding his hand in the twisted position, but upon seeing his fear and rising pain, she released him and he fled to the front of the tram, far away from her. She watched him leave, making sure he didn't get brave again and turned back. She noted that very few on the tram gave notice to the incident, not wanting to get involved.

She swore she saw a flash of dark blue eyes as her gaze scanned the passengers, causing her to look back, but they were gone. Only a few tired college kids and businessmen with their faces stuck in their newspapers.

It was still enough to make her heart beat wildly, even after she told herself it was the stress of Mina and Ami's return.

vVv

If it wasn't his Uncle's place, he probably would have left his job at the arcade years ago. He felt like a creeper working there now as a college student. He'd finally convinced his Uncle to put in a karaoke machine but that only brought in people his age on the weekends. Now, _Thursday_ , it was him and a bunch of middle-schoolers who kept looking at him with stars in their eyes. Which bugged him to no end.

The arcade doors dinged and he hoped it was Lita coming to his rescue as she'd promised. But instead of the beautiful, legs for days, brunette he was hoping for, Andrew was met by a tall, dark man.

Dark jeans and a black shirt only darkened his appearance as his jet black hair fell over black sunglasses.

 _Jeez, somebody likes black. Isn't this guy hot?_

The dude was built. His bicep alone was as big as Andrew's two put together and he'd been working out since becoming a reluctant demon hunter.

He could only assume that the guy smiled when his sights landed on him. He couldn't tell what his eyes were looking at through the dark glasses but the guy walked over to where he stood, gawking surely.

"Andrew!"

The guy knew his name but he couldn't place the voice. It was deep and gruff, making him a bit envious with his high pitched unmanly voice squeaking out. "I'm sorry do I know you?" The man pulled off his glasses for him to see the strange man clearly.

" _ **Darien?!**_ "

* * *

Super mean I know! I promise to update soon! Maybe even give you all a little peak on Tumblr if you are there! See you guys soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Sorry, this took so long, but I honestly kept forgetting lol! Maybe if I had more reviews, I would remember (wink).

Speaking of thanks to those of you reviewing and reading. This is not one of my more popular fics and this sequel is dangerously low in follows and faves (-shrugs shoulders- oops). So thank you **Tropical Remix, SailorMoon489, Christinagonzalez81493, phillynz (my girl!), and Guest** for taking the time and encouraging me. **Beej88** , you encouraged me too via review and being my bae-ta! Along with the fabulous **Ninjette Twitch**!

This chapter is short but I will post again soon, once my bae-tas are done with it. Don't hate, they are very busy and great at what they do! Give Beej88 Twist in Time a look see and Ninjette Twitch's Confession or Hot and Heavy a read!

Enjoy my lovelies!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

" _When you love someone, truly love them, you lay your heart open to them. You give them a part of yourself that you give to no one else, and you let them inside a part of you that only they can hurt-you literally hand them the razor with a map of where to cut deepest and most painfully on your heart and soul. And when they do strike, it's crippling-like having your heart carved out."_

― _**Sherrilyn Kenyon**_

All he could do was stare at the guy. The 18-year-old kid that left five years ago was nothing like the man that stood before him now. Darien had been a runner, tone but thin. He'd been that way from all the years he spent running up and down the soccer field and track in High School.

Now he had bubbles of muscles all over his body causing Andrew to wonder what he was doing now instead. And, he might have been imagining this, but he could have sworn he had grown at least half a foot too. It was not his imagination that Darien now stood taller than him when they used to be the same height.

"Jesus Darien! Where have you been?!"

He pulled him into a hug and Darien squeezed just a bit too tight, causing him to hiss the remaining breath in his lungs out in pain. "Oh sorry, Andrew."

Released, he staggered back a bit, reeling from the pain of the powerful man's hold. "Sorry?! What happened to you? Last time I saw you, we could have squeezed you into a locker. Now you look like you could eat the locker!"

He laughed, a foreign sound to him after all these years. "Such is the life of a Hunter. Blame it on the blood in my veins."

The conversation, in such a place, made him uncomfortable. Darien didn't even try to lower his voice, as if he knew no one was listening to them. Sensing his nervousness, Darien gave him a somewhat comforting smile. As if the man knew and was telling him _not to worry_.

He looked his old friend over, noting the small scars that now marred his arms. They reminded him of the ones he and the others had gotten over the years. Well, except for Serena who typically left the fight without a mark and if she did, it was gone when they got home.

He looked back up to see Darien's eyes wandering around the arcade. Some things never changed it seemed.

"She's not here."

He turned his attention back to him as if to refute his accusation, but he didn't, he just stayed silent.

"None of them come here very much anymore. Too old for it I guess. I know I am!"

Just as he said it, a group of girls walked by looking at both of them and giggling as little girls do, making his skin crawl.

Darien looked at him again. "I see what you mean."

Andrew waved him toward the empty counter. "We need to talk."

Darien sat down without a fight or any expectations, a good-natured smile on his mouth. He was looking him over studiously, yet to notice his marks. "Things don't seem to have changed much with you my friend."

He leaned in, still uncomfortable having this conversation in public. "Mina and Ami have returned...and their human!"

"...I know."

Confused, "You know?" Darien continued to hold his stare until it clicked inside, "That's why you are here…."

Darien didn't answer him and he felt his anger start to rise. "What's going on Darien?"

He sat back on the stool. "I'm sorry old friend but it would be best if you kept out of this one. You barely made it out alive the last time I foolishly got you involved."

His anger was in full control now, "Keep out? We have been putting our lives on the line for years now, doing your job!" He made a point of jabbing a finger into Darien's chest, finding it hard as rocks, making his threat lose most of its power. "And now you waltz back in here and act like we are in the way?"

Pulling his arm back slowly, Darien noticed the matching scars on his arms for the first time. His face turned from good-natured and cocky, to confusion and anger….and a little bit of fear.

"Andrew, what have you been up to?"

"Maybe the days of us sharing all the aspects of our lives is over." He quirked his brow up at the man who sat where his friend used to belong.

Darien sighed and shook his head, giving in a bit quicker than he had expected. "Look, we don't know much yet. We just got back a few days ago…."

"We?"

"My Uncle and I. My Aunt called us back. I really know as much as you do at this point."

Darien looked at him, waiting. Silently telling him it was now his turn to spill. "We've been hunting."

Darien slammed his fist down on the counter before him. His anger flashing quickly across his face. "Are you crazy? You could have been killed!"

"Are you crazy?" He said it, eyeing all the people now staring at them and begging him to calm down before the place exploded. "Besides, someone had to have Serena's back when she went out….."

"Serena?!"

Andrew looked at his surprised face, feeling a bit high and mighty having more information on the girl Darien use to love. Who, he suspected, he still did love.

"Have you seen her yet?"

He already knew the answer before he asked the question. Of course, he had, she was probably the first thing on his mind when he stepped on Japan's soil. Even before he returned home by the look on his face.

He nodded his head, calming in his reflections. "She's changed."

"That's what happens when your world gets turned upside down." He shrugged.

Darien looked him up and down again. A doubtful look on his face. "You don't seem to have changed that much Andrew."

He couldn't help putting his hands on his hips, reprimanding his friend. "Well, I'm different. I had the love of a beautiful woman to help me through it all."

As if on cue, Lita walked through the door and made her way to them. A confused look on her face as she tried to figure out who the hell he was talking to.

"And she isn't living at her parents' anymore?"

"It's been five years, what did you expect? Her to still be there at age 21?!"

"Hey, guys! What's going on?" Lita sat comfortably but didn't seem to put two and two together, not realizing who the man was that she was now sitting next to.

"We are discussing Serena."

She looked even more confused. Here eyes dancing between the two of them, not daring to look too long at the hulking and dark man next to her. "Serena?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He watched as her face lit up, understanding smoothing out her face and turning it into concern.

"Oh, Andrew. You know Serena made us promise not to set her up on any more dates. She didn't talk to me or Rei for a week after the last one!"

He glanced over at Darien in time to catch the grimace on his face at the mention of Serena dating, only confirming his beliefs. Opportunity knocked so loud, he wouldn't be surprised if the other two in front of him heard it as well.

"Speaking of Serena and her no longer living at home, the girls are having a housewarming party tomorrow night. You should come. I assume you already know where it is."

Lita slapped his arm hard. "Andrew! She is going to kick you out for sure this time!"

He looked at her angry eyes and signaled her to look closer at the man sitting next to her. Without fear or embarrassment, she turned and looked at the supposed stranger right in the eyes. It took less than a second before she was freaking out.

"DARIEN?!"

Darien cringed slightly at the unhuman decibels his love managed to hit. "Hello, Lita."

"Gees babe, we talked about volume!" Looking around, he saw that they had, yet again, gained some attention from the arcades current clientele.

She blushed but didn't stop her interrogation. "What are you doing here? We thought you weren't coming back!"

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He may have broken her best friend's heart but he still saved her's and Serena's life. He watched as Darien restrained himself, already learning from his earlier mistake with him as he returned the hug.

He avoided the question. Not wanting to include Lita in his mission, even though she was already closely tied to it. "It's good to see you Lita."

As if they have the same mind, Lita pulled away, still looking at their long lost friend. "Have you seen her yet?"

This time he only nodded and Lita continued, "She's different isn't she? But don't worry, it's not all bad." Lita released a nervous chuckle as if it were her fault their friend had turned out the way she did. "She got into college. A good one. And she is doing really well with it."

"I know."

Lita looked a bit shocked, but Andrew wasn't. He suspected that Darien had either kept tabs somehow or had spent the last few days since he returned learning all about Serena's new life.

"Well, Andrew is right. You should come over tomorrow night."

Darien began to draw away from the two of them. "I don't think that's a good idea."

He grabbed his shoulder, serving to only his slow retreat. "Come on man, we haven't seen you in years. You may not have missed us but we missed you. Some more than others."

He eyed Lita who agreed with the implication. Darien watched the two of them, following their train of thought.

"It might be better if she doesn't even know I'm here."

Andrew caught the subtext of that statement. "You're not staying?!"

He shrugged, "I don't know yet. We have been going where we were needed the most."

A new voice interrupted them. "You are needed the most here."

They turned to the raven-haired Priestess, who looked as if she knew Darien would be here. Lacking any shock or confusion that had rocked both him and Lita moments ago at the sight of him.

"Hello, Darien. Welcome back."

Darien didn't miss a beat. Knowing full well the intentions of the milko. "What has been happening?"

Rei stepped up, taking a seat on the other side of Darien's now vacated one. "The demonic levels have been off the charts lately. It's as if the Countess' presences set off a chain reaction for other demons to come out of the woodwork. It's been quiet for a few weeks now but I can sense it is not an end but simply a lull. Something more is coming."

Lita focused her attention back on Darien, "Didn't you know what was going on here?"

His eyes danced around, scanning their faces one at a time. "My Aunt said she was handling it. And that she would call us if it ever became more dire."

Andrew felt heated again. "She said she was handling it? Is that why we've been running around night after night risking our souls while she just gave us weapons and some advice?!"

Darien looked confused but then moved towards the door with anger in his voice. "Excuse me. I have something I have to take care of."

He yelled after his disappearing form, "So we will see you tomorrow night right?"

Lita and Rei both stared at him and he shrugged. "What? He didn't say no."

Rei rested her head heavily on her hand with an exasperated sigh. "He didn't say yes either."

* * *

The place looked nice. Fresh flowers sat in little vases and they had dimmed the lights so the string lights they hung in a few random places and round a few of the branches of Lita's plants, adding a little sparkle to the place. Rei was busy lighting candles, making the place smell sweet.

Mina and Ami were already chatting up a few guests that had arrived irritatingly early. She had managed to slip into her room to change, having only finished bathing a few moments ago and was still clad in "home" clothes. She wore her hair down, still damp and curling in soft waves and pulled on the dress Lita made her get for the evening. She didn't know why but Lita was being pushier than usual about how she dressed tonight. She had a sneaking suspicion they had set up another date for her and if they had she was going to silent treatment them for a month this time.

They were just lucky she liked the dress, otherwise, she would have stomped out in jeans and a faded t-shirt. It was light pink with little straps of silver. The cotton material was light and airy, tight on her bust and ribs before flaring out comfortably at her hips. She did a small spin, loving how the material flew up around her. Her flip-flops slapped loudly against the bottom of her feet as she returned to the fray.

The heat in the room had increased due to the number of bodies now in their apartment. She had invited maybe five people but it looked like Rei, Lita, and Andrew had invited everyone they had ever met.

Someone had turned the tv on. Turning it to one of those all music all the time channels. Soft jazz filtered over the mix of voices.

She worked her way through the crowd and as the many eyes took her in she was starting to realize, she recognized none of them.

She made it to the kitchen before anything happened, letting her nose lead her the delicious array of foods Lita had cooked up.

She was about to sink her teeth into what looked like a lemon bar when someone screeched at her from across the room.

"Serena!"

Arms engulfed her as she turned, Molly's chestnut waves finding their way around her nose.

"Hey, Molly. Long time no see!"

Molly released her. "You're telling me," she held up her hand in front of Serena's face, the glittering diamond was hard to miss.

"Congratulations! When did that happen?"

Melvin appeared out of nowhere, pushing out from the crowd to join his fiance. "Last month."

Her head spun a little. "A month? Where have I been?"

Molly laughed. "No one really knows Serena. But it is really good to see you, thank you for inviting us."

"Any time."

"This place is amazing!"

The conversation turned to casual and she found herself spacing out. Now Molly was getting married. To Melvin! She never expected the guy had it in him to close the deal but she was glad he was smart enough to do so. She watched the two of them as Molly gushed about their lives. The two of them had been together for what seemed like forever, and now they moved together like they were one person. She moved, he moved, on instinct.

Molly and Melvin left to meet others who had joined the ever-growing party. She attempted once more to eat the tempting lemon bar when Lita appeared before, pulling it out of her hand.

"Don't just sit here! Go mingle!"

She huffed, "Lita I swear if this is another setup…"

"Just go!"

She milled aimlessly through the crowd. Face after strange face until she felt alone even in a room full of people.

Finally, she caught sight of her parents, standing close to the small balcony they were lucky to have. Her dad was carrying on while her mother blushed and laughed. The comfort of them being 'known' to her drew her in like a moth to a flame.

Her father caught sight of her first, waving her over as if she wasn't already heading their way. She could tell he had had a bit of wine. And not by the nearly empty glass he had in his hand.

She was just pushing her way through the last group of people between her and them, apologizing and excusing herself as her mother taught her to when her dad started trying to gain her attention.

"Serena! Look who decided to make an appearance!"

She looked over at the man her father was talking about. Tall, dark, nice body, but everything stopped when she met his eyes. Dark blue storms crashing down on her as she recognized him in a second.

"Darien…" It came out as a whisper as that was all she could manage having all the wind knocked out of her.

"Yes, it's Darien Chiba! I still can't believe, it's been what?"

"Five years," she answered her father's question all while staring into his face.

Everything threatened to come back. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Cold from the tears that threatened to fall and hot from the anger that bubbled behind them. Forcing herself to turn away, she caught his smile fade away before she did. The pounding of her heart cracked at the chrysalis she had spent so long forming around it. His very presents attacked at her from the inside.

Her dad prattled on oblivious, "Darien just got back from London. Just finished up his bachelor's degree in pre-med at Cambridge. So are you planning on staying in Tokyo for Med school?"

"I haven't made any set plans as of yet."

His voice sliced through her, causing pain to run up her spine. She refused to look at him or anyone. She kept her eyes locked on a houseplant that was in desperate need of watering. More than anything, she wanted to disappear.

"Serena has been doing very well for herself. She's going to University of Tokyo, studying to be a teacher of all things!"

Now it was her mother, droning on about her now as if she were on display. She should have just listened to Lita and mingled. Although, she was starting to think this meeting had something to do with the manipulative woman and her weasley fox of a boyfriend.

"What do you think Darien? I think she would make a great kindergarten teacher."

She inwardly groaned at the joint task her parents had taken upon themselves to thrust the two of them together. As if it were up to them alone to fix the broken twine that once fixed the two of them together. But the twine had been more than broken, it had been burnt to a crisp.

"I think Serena would be great at anything she sets her mind out to."

His nice words only irritated her. She had to get out of there but her mother had her arm in a vice grip. As gently and as calmly as she could she pulled her mother's hand off of her arm, a move that no matter how smooth she did it, caught attention. She forced the best smile she could onto her face and thought of the first excuse she could.

"Please excuse me, I need a drink." Wasn't really a lie.

As she walked away she could hear her dad talk on about the reappearance of Mina and Ami, clearly not knowing the full story. Saying something along the lines of a rift between them and Serena finally perking back up from her depressed mood since their fall out.

Grabbing a drink off the island, in case anyone was watching her, and someone was, she made her escape to the balcony without too much fuss. She made it all the way to the railing without spilling a single drop. Now that was something to celebrate, her parents should be telling the whole party about that.

The sweet fruity mixer covered most of the bitter alcohol but not the burn as it went down her throat. Drinking was probably a bad idea, forget the battle behind her, the one out somewhere in the night was the one she really needed to stay sober for. But it was one drink and she was sipping it not doing shots.

Someone was dumb enough to follow her out there. She let go of the breath she was holding when she realized it was just her mother. At least a certain someone wasn't dumb enough to come after her. Mom leaned onto the railing with her, sweeping her eyes over the small city view they had before the tall buildings blocked the rest.

"I'm sorry about your dad. He can be a bit oblivious and that is when he hasn't had a few drinks in him." Mom turned, placing a hand on hers, "He still gets under your skin doesn't he darling?"

"I don't really want to talk about it. Not now anyway. I mean...I just ran into him for the first time in years…..I don't really know how I feel about any of it."

"I do. I can see it in your eyes bunny."

She looked at her mom, a small, sad, smile played at her lips. One of pity and sympathy. She wasn't sure what her mom saw. She never told her. Mom just left it at that and left her to her thoughts, alone on the balcony.


	4. Chapter 4

Alright lovelies, here is the next installment of Vein Deep. I hope you are all enjoying it so far! Thank you to all who reviewed, faved, and followed this. Shout out to my bae-tas Beej88 and Ninjette Twitch. If you are enjoying the Halloween feels and love some lemons, go check out Twitch's Hot and Heavy Chronicles. There are lemony chapters from many great writers (yours truly included ^_~) and the ones posted this month all have a spooky, Halloween theme!

Also be on the lookout for my new fic, a Halloween special coming your way. I just finished it last night and the content is bae-ta approved. They just have to go back and check my grammar now lol!

If you haven't yet, check out Beej88's Twist and Collide. They are truly masterpieces and you will get swept away by it!

Okay, enjoy now!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

" _Who are you then?"_

 _"I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good."_

― _**Johann Wolfgang von Goethe**_ _,_ _ **Faust: First Part**_

The night wore on and the home started to empty. He knew he should probably leave as well but every time he moved to leave, someone stopped him. Andrew asked him to join him in a drink while Rei wanted to ask him a question about something she read recently in the temple's records. Lita just shoved food down his throat and even Ami and Mina stopped him a few times asking him questions about his life.

It was strange to see the two of them, clearly human. Their eyes no longer the color of blood and the change in their hair lengths a big clue. It was clear they had not been human for too long as their faces lacked the maturity of the 21 years of age they should be.

They still looked like 16-year-old girls; time had stopped for them for the last five years while they were by all pretenses, dead. He had never heard of such a thing in all of his studies and training. There had never been an instance in which a Vampire had turned back into a human. The two of them were the main reason he'd come in the first place, no matter what his heart told him.

He had made it most of the night, avoiding her and she stayed put most of the night, making it easy. He wanted to observe Ami and Mina and get out of there, which he was in the middle of doing when Serena's drunk father grabbed him. The man, before he left, despised him to no end. Even as a kid, Mr. Tsukino eyed him with suspicion as the boy who had his daughter's heart. Seeing something the two of them didn't. Now, he seemed to love him. He wasn't sure if it was because he had broken his daughter's heart and made it impossible for the two of them to ever be together or if it was just the alcohol. Maybe it was both.

As Mr. Tsukino asked prying questions about his life now, he watched as the top of her blonde head slowly made its way towards them. He kept hoping against hope she would turn and go somewhere else but then Tsukino called her over. Mrs. Tsukino held him still with her attention.

It was his first real good look at her that evening or in the past five years and she was…..beautiful. Her body had changed, she'd gotten longer and leaner but her eyes were still the clearest of blue he had ever seen. The dress she wore made her seem older but then again, she was since the last time he had seen her. Her baby fat was gone, which was a bit sad to him but she had filled out in other places. At least in her chest, he couldn't be too sure about her hips given the way her dress flared off her body.

His breath caught in his throat when she finally looked at him and his heart twisted when her face changed at the sight of him. Her small smile fading in an instant, leaving him with pain and anger. He had never expected any less, and yet, it still shocked him to the core that she felt that way about him. Hatred.

When she turned away and refused to look at him it was a shot to the gut. He was bleeding internally but there was nothing he could do about it. Not now. Perhaps, he never should. Even if he could fix it, it would be something that even he himself couldn't assure to break again. His obligations to this world didn't allow for such promises.

With her out on the balcony, he tried to make his exit but that was when everyone seemed to pop up to stop him.

The place was nearly empty now. Just family and close friends and even they were about to leave. He had to slip out with them, it was his last chance.

He cringed inwardly at the sound of his name. "Darien, stay! Come and sit with us and let's catch up!"

Sitting in the living room was Rei, Mina, Ami, Andrew, and Lita. It was the group of people he used to hold dear, minus one very important player. He was trying to think of some kind of excuse when a door slammed nearby. All eyes turned to Serena as she made her way over to the exit. A place he dearly wished to follow her to.

Her dress was gone, replaced by dark jeans and a tight dark tank. She looked completely different from the girl he'd left behind, not a single inch of her shape hidden now.

As much as he wanted to take in her new body, he had more important things to focus on. Taking a minute to check her over, happy to see she didn't have the same scars as him and Andrew, her bare arms still flawless and toned. Maybe Andrew had exaggerated her involvement in their 'extra-curricular'. His Aunt had been conveniently indisposed when he searched her out about it, so he still didn't know the extent of the damage that had been done while he was away.

She picked up a small, black, canvas jacket on her way out, not stopping to say a word to anyone.

Lita called out to her. "Serena, where are you going?"

Serena's movements slowed but didn't stop. "Out."

"You've got protection?"

His heart stopped at Lita's brash question. Why the hell did Serena need _condoms_ to go out? And this late at night?!

His heart did a flip-flop when she flashed open her jacket, revealing a jeweled blade on her hip before closing the door behind her.

He turned back to the group, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. "Was that the same blade that we pulled from her chest five years ago?!"

Everyone but Mina and Ami nodded. Those two just looked confused and horrified. Not only were they human, but they had no memory of their time as Vampires. Rei and Lita began filling them in, leaving out certain details that he picked up on quickly. They must have decided not to tell the girls of all the horrors they had committed.

No one seemed to be concerned that a certain blonde had just left by herself. "Are we going to ignore the fact that Serena just left looking for a fight in the middle of the night?"

Rei looked up at him and gestured for him to have a seat. "She does this often. There is no point in fighting it. Trust me, we have ALL tried. Besides she can handle herself."

That was hard for him to believe. "We are talking about the same girl, right? The one that attracts trouble?"

He sat across from Lita who looked comfortable next to Andrew. "She will be back in an hour or so. Besides, if there was anything to worry about, Rei would have sensed it."

There was no doubting the Priestess's prowess. He had seen it in action and that was five years ago. Who knew how much more she'd advanced by now. He did the best he could to relax but Serena being out of the house both settled and unnerved him all at once.

Andrew handed him a drink. "So Darien. Are you here to stay or just passing through?"

"That is still to be determined."

A small ping of pain flicked his heart at his words. Something he had not felt in a long time.

Mina sighed, frustrated, "Okay can someone explain something to me? What the hell happened between you and Serena? The last I remembered, you two were hopelessly in love with one another!"

He cringed, "Things change I guess."

"You guess?" Mina was losing it, her face turning red with her frustration. "Those kinds of things do not change no matter what happens."

Ami patted Mina's knee. "Calm down. Things didn't change." She looked over at Darien as if she could look right through him, "They just want us to think it did. But in the end, they are only fooling each other."

Silence fell over the small group for a moment as all eyes watched Ami. It had been a long time since he'd heard Ami be so smart and deep. Her 'all knowing' abilities were still humbling in their absolute awareness.

Lita slapped her hands together, signaling the end of that. "Okay guys, who is going to help me clean up?"

Groans erupted from the group, but his attention went straight to Rei. He was looking to see if she'd noticed it too. The change in the air as it shimmied and wrapped around his body with tight tension.

Her hand was on her head and she squeezed her temples. She glanced at him with fear in her eyes. She felt it too. In spades.

Before either could say something, the forgotten tv sputtered, dropping the smooth jazz that had been playing for hours.

"We interrupt this program with a special announcement from the Tokyo chief of police."

The tv split again, showing an older man in an official uniform, "Citizens of Tokyo, there has been a sudden wave of deaths sweeping the city this evening. It is unclear at this time what is the cause, but we are not ready to declare it an accident. We are asking that all individuals stay in their homes. We are shutting down the city at this time. I repeat, do not leave your homes!"

The screen flipped back to the jazz, the sound now creating an overly eerie wave over the entire apartment. He was already on his feet and out the door.

vVv

An odd fog had settled over the city. A thick blanket hiding the world from her immediate view. It chilled her to the bones even on what should have been a hot summer night.

The temperature was the least of her concerns. As long as she was out of that apartment and as far away from that man as possible.

She was no fool, she saw how Darien kept trying to leave and yet one of her so-called friends would pop up and drag him back to the party. She had had enough of him. Enough of them. Enough of all of it.

The fog caused a stillness over the city, usually bustling with people this time of night on a Friday. As close as she was to the colleges that littered downtown, she should have at least heard one out of control frat party. But no, nothing but silence.

The wind picked up, rushing up her jacket and through the material of her top, running its cold hand up her back like a lover's touch. The hair on her neck stood up at the same time, causing her to pull her blade and spin into action.

The fog moved away from her, creating a circle around her of even thicker fog. She could now see the ground around her in a 5-foot diameter but after that nothing but white mist.

The hand touched her back again, this time moving forward across her stomach as if someone was sliding their hands around her from behind. She spun out of the invisible touch, getting pissed.

"Okay jackass, show your ugly face already and let's get this over with."

The creature actually obeyed, shifting out of the fog into her little ring. "Such a mouth on you, my pretty one."

She didn't need a scroll or a dusty textbook to tell her what this creature was, Vampire. His long black hair was slicked back, looking greasy as it reflected the moonlight. It fell to his shoulders where a black jacket sat on top of a pure white dress shirt. Black slacks finished the outfit, making him look like a gentleman lost in the fog….and lost in the wrong time period.

He looked her up and down, breathing in deep as he took a small step closer. "My you are a tasty little morsel aren't you?"

Her Hunter group had come across a few Vampires over the years but they were all new. This guy was ancient, she could smell it on him. The overwhelming mixture of dead flesh and blood that was not his floated off of him and to her nose. But it was more than that, there was a shimmering in the scent, the smell of his power. That was how she knew he was old. New Vampires just reeked of blood. This guy, he had been around for a long time.

His eyes fluttered to her dagger. "Look at the interesting toy you have. That's not what I think it is, is it?"

She didn't bother responding. These guys loved to talk. It was their way of inciting fear in their victims. The smell of fear was like crack for a Vampire and it somehow made the blood taste sweeter to them.

"It's not very polite, ignoring a gentleman when he is speaking to you." But he didn't sound angry. He sounded pleased.

"Good thing you are no Gentleman. What do you want me to say? That you reek of death and cheap cologne?"

He held up a finger and waved it at her. "Tisk tisk, is that any way to speak to your savior?"

"Savior? How does that word not burn in your mouth?"

She blinked and he was right on top of her. "Yes Serena, I am here to save you from this miserable thing you call a life."

Her breath caught in her throat. "How do you know my name?"

His eyes pierced her and she felt like she had turned to stone. "I know everything about you, my dear Serenity."

There was a loud _pop_ right as his eyes disappeared and a _thud_ that followed soon after. A flash of black and white as the creature tumbled away from her. She didn't need to look to know he was now standing right beside her, she could feel his presence, his power shifting the air around them into something strong and pure. She was still frozen, the shock of this creature's words holding her still, watching as Darien stalked over to the creature. Every muscle in his body flexed, his body in battle mode.

The Vampire got up to shaky legs and looked over at her as if not feeling threatened in the least by the glowering man-beast in between them now. "And the young Van Helsing too. Just couldn't stay away could you?"

Darien went after him and he was impossibly fast, just as fast as the Vampire. A loud _crack_ reverberated across the empty street, the sound bouncing off objects hidden by the fog. Darien hit the Vampire so hard under the chin, it sent the creature a few feet up in the air. But he recovered quickly, flying back down and into the Hunter, hitting Darien across the jaw. He flew backward, past her, disappearing into the fog.

The creature turned his attention back to her. His eyes piercing again. She had trained for this, she had to reject his compulsion or he would make her kill herself if it pleased him. The mist that he'd interwoven into her mind was twisting and flurrying around like a cat as it fell, trying to land on its feet. She could feel his power as it crept up her cerebral cortex and fanned out over her brain. Pushing back, she felt her blood attack the intrusion, the cat hissing and arching back away and out of her brain. She shook him out the rest of the way and pulled her blade back up, ready for him.

He laughed, "Good! Diana Van Helsing has trained you well!"

She didn't let his words get to her. Not letting his ever-expanding knowledge about her phase her as it had before. "Want to find out how well?"

She slipped her jacket off her shoulders and to the ground in a seductive manner. Diana had told her to use her feminine wiles and Lita had shown her how to use it. His mouth went slack and then turned into a smirk as he enjoyed her little show. Working to distract him from her attack. She pushed the muscles in her thighs as far as she could as crouched down and propelled herself forwards as quickly as she could.

She wasn't as fast as Darien, but she was still fast enough to surprise the walking windbag in front of her. He recovered and prepared for her hit to his front. But she smiled, ' _rookie mistake'_. At the last second, she jumped up, flinging herself over him. Twisting her body around his she landed on his shoulders, his neck in between her thighs. Allowing her to easily sink the tip of her blade into his dead flesh.

She didn't get it in far before he reached around, grabbed her legs with his talons out, throwing her off of him and across the clearing. She twisted out of it into the mist, rolling into waiting arms that picked her up with no effort and placed her back on her feet again.

"Stay down!"

She crouched at his orders, his eyes wide as he looked down at her. Darien's hand landed on her leg, placing it on the open wound the Vampire had sliced through her jeans and into her flesh.

She looked at her leg with him, a small gasp escaping her at the sight. "Shit! I loved these jeans!"

He gave her a warning look but he said nothing before heading out and leaving the mist to once again face the Vampire. She followed him out but he pushed her behind him annoying her to no end. _Was he not watching 5 seconds ago? Did he not SEE that she could take care of herself?_ She didn't need a savior. Not the Vampire freak and not Darien.

The creature pulled her dagger out of his neck, his blood matching the color of the rubies inlaid in the hilt. He sneered at it and then flung it back in her direction, the metal clanging loudly on the pavement.

The creature's eyes found hers once more, ignoring Darien again and his protective stance. "Soon, Serena, I will return you to your rightful place."

He blurred away to nothing, the fog disappearing with him. It must have been a Vampire trick that the old ones could do. It was the first time she'd ever experienced anything like it but she found it more like the tricks they did at concerts.

Darien stooped down, checking her leg again but she knew it was already healed. It always healed quickly. She was already walking away before he had risen again, still pissed about her jeans. And not wanting to be anywhere near him or his tender touch.

"What the hell was that, Serena? Why does he know your name?"

She shrugged, leaning over to pick up her weapon from the ground and wiped the remaining blood off it onto her already ruined jeans. "How should I know?"

He grabbed her, simultaneously stopping her and spinning her around to face angry blue eyes. "Do you have any idea who that was?"

"Just because he knew my name doesn't mean I knew his."

She tried to leave but he stopped her again. "His name is Abel and he is one of the oldest living Vampires in the world." She tried to once more to walk away but he grabbed her holding her still and very close to him, "That means he is one of the most powerful Vampires that is out there."

His closeness was upsetting her, she didn't like how her heart was racing and her palms sweating. She found it more unsettling and frightening than when she was this close to the Vampire. The one that was apparently one of the most powerful ever.

"You seemed to do alright against him." She was fighting a swoon. ' _Come on Serena get a hold of yourself!'_

His hands didn't leave her shoulders, "He was just toying with us. He was probably testing you to see what you were capable of and who you had helping you."

His thumbs started rubbing up against her bare flesh on her arms making her head spin. "He said he knew everything about me. Why would he need to test anything if he already knows me?"

He took a step closer to her, shrinking the already small gap between them. "He must have been bluffing. He doesn't know everything about you."

The way he said it, implied that _he_ did. That he knew everything about her. But he didn't. He didn't know anything about her, not anymore.

She pushed him off of her, freeing herself of his spell. Scooping up her jacket, she left without any more attempts to stop her.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey there lovelies. Another, albeit, short update for ya. Sorry, I swear I am posting this as fast as my _**bae-tas**_ will let me lol! Shout out to the always lovely and amazing **Beej88** and **Ninjette Twitch**! I love my _**bae-tas**_ sooooooo much!

Twitch just posted another fabulous Chapter to **Chronicles** , a homage to Hitchcock, this one will really get you in the Halloween spirit...and maybe in the mood for something a bit more carnal!

Speaking of carnal, Beej88 also just posted a lovely little one shot. Set in her fantastic Twist FF, we get a look into the beginnings of Rei and Jedite. It is just enough steam with a side of drama and turmoil.

Also coming up, **Ms. Ninjette Twitch** will be posting our Halloween special, a fic we wrote and worked on together. We worked so hard, I'm pretty sure there was blood to get this little treat done for you guys. All so no one would trick us! _**Keep a look out for it tomorrow, or Friday, on her page!**_

 ** _Go give both a look and look me up on Tumblr_ _faulkner_ _blog at Tumblr! I'll give you insight to new postings and other great reads on there_**!

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

" _ **Yahweh:**_ _You've been unhappy because you've desired things that cannot be._

 _ **Lucifer:**_ _That's what desire IS. The need for what we can't have. The need for what's readily available is called greed."_

― _**Mike Carey**_ _,_ _ **Lucifer, Vol. 11: Evensong**_

Lita busied herself with cleaning, anything to distract her from the minutes that ticked by while the two 'lovers' were out in harm's way. If it had been anyone else but Darien, they would have all gone out looking for her with them. But they all knew they would just get in the way. Darien was more than capable, their resident Hunter had finally returned.

She released the air that had been stuck in her fear-filled chest when Serena stomped back into the apartment. She caught the huge rip in her jeans and the dried blood underneath it, but Serena was walking fine which told her that it had healed already. Just as it always did.

Serena said nothing to the group as she came back in, all of whom were ready to jump her with sincere glee that she had returned okay. But she expelled anger so strongly off of herself that none dared go near her or say a word.

She watched as the small bomb went straight into her room and slammed the door. She went back to her tidying when she heard a soft thud against Serena's makeshift wall, and a frustrated, and angry scream shake the walls right after.

The door opened again a second after that, and Darien walked back in. He was also unharmed and back safely. Again, the group stopped themselves from showing their happiness when the rage rippled off the second returned Hunter. He said nothing. Just pointed to Serena's room to which they all nodded their heads without a word.

He stalked over, entering her room and slamming the door behind him as well.

She could make out words here and there, the makeshift walls doing well to muffle them just enough to jumble up their conversation. She heard Serena loud and clear when she asked him, "What the hell are you doing here?" and Darien saying something about no pants. And random bits like, "Brainless ditz" from Darien, "Scared little boy," from Serena, and a "Let me know how that works for you.." from Darien before he appeared again, slamming both Serena's door and the front door on his way out.

She laughed, and everyone turned to look at her like she was crazy, even Andrew.

But she just shook her head. "Doesn't this bring back memories for anybody else?"

Serena reemerged, and now the pants comment made sense as she had none on. The thud must have been the ruined pants against the wall.

Her face was beet red as she stood before them, with her finger pointed hard at them all. "That man is not allowed back here. Do you understand? I don't want to see him again!"

She was being very serious, but it was hard not to laugh at her attempts to do so pantsless. Somehow, they managed it even if a bit here and there slipped out.

She slammed the door, for what she hoped at least, the last time that night.

They might have thought it was funny, but she did not. She squeezed her face into her pillow, letting it soak up the tears before they could make it to her cheeks.

How dare he! How dare he come back after all these years, after he left her without even a glance back, and tell her how to handle herself. How to live HER life! He tried to make her feel guilty, telling her she was being selfish and a brat going out there like that, acting like her life didn't matter. She wasn't doing any of that! She could take care of herself, and it wasn't selfish or reckless. He didn't know anything about her!

How dare he act as if he knew her.

Angry tears flowed without any sign of stopping, especially as she played his words over and over again in her head.

She wasn't sure how long it had been since she'd stopped crying. Still clad in her tank top and underwear, she pulled her thick comforter over herself and did her best to get some sleep.

The ringing of her phone woke her. Her alarm clock had yet to go off, telling her it was so early that it could still be considered night. It was her Master, Diana. She demanded that Serena come over that instant.

Getting up, she did her best to fight off her fatigue as she pulled on a pair of dark pink yoga pants. She didn't even bother to change her top, she just pulled her hair up off her neck and face before splashing some water on them and left. No one woke as she snuck out.

Her stomach turned as she jumped on the tram, Darien was going to be there. She would give anything not to see him again. But she had no choice, she had to obey her Master.

The tram ride was not nearly long enough, and neither was the elevator ride. When the doors slid open, she was not greeted by Diana or a butler. Instead, Darien's Uncle stood silently waiting for her.

"Hello, Serena."

"Hello, sir."

"Please, call me Michael."

She bristled under his stare, to which a twitch of a smile reached his face.

"I'm glad to see you have grown into an impressive woman."

It was a strange thing to say, and she wasn't sure if she should thank him or not so she went with not.

He laughed, "You have changed. I remember a Serena who was rarely ever this quiet."

"Stop it, Michael." Diana emerged, saving her from what was turning into a very awkward conversation.

Diana pressed past him taking her by the arm. "Come, Serena, we have much to discuss."

Serena hoped that this meant nothing would change and Diana could keep training her, but Michael followed them.

Master led them to the dojo, a room that used to be theirs, but was now occupied by a dark figure. He was going to town on a sandbag, so fast she almost couldn't see him. It was frightening, the difference between the man that moved before them and the boy she'd once loved. He was no longer that boy and she was no longer that girl that loved him.

"Darien, would you be a dear and give us the room please?" Diana's voice was dripping with affection, a tone she had heard often towards herself.

He glanced over at them before stopping, grabbing the still swinging bag to stop it. He was wearing a pair of black sweatpants and nothing else. She did her best to remain looking indifferent as she took note of the sweat glistening off every dimple of his muscular form. The sweat on his brow rolled down his face and he caught her eyes.

He got a cocky look on his face before grabbing a small white towel and walking out past them. The sound of his bare feet as they touched the floor was almost deafening in the silence as he neared her. She was sure how close he walked past her was on purpose, grazing his naked arm on hers as he went. Her arm was wet from the transfer of sweat, which should have grossed her out but for some reason, it caused heat in her lower belly. Thankfully, she was able to extinguish it as soon as he was out of the room.

Master gestured to the space that Darien had just occupied. She walked up to it, noting the destroyed sandbags as she passed. Darien must have been there for a while, and he was taking some frustrations out on the sand. The sheer pleasure of knowing she was the cause of his sleepless workouts….priceless.

Michael and Diana stood to the side, waiting. Apparently, they expected a show. She faced her opponent, the bag still left standing. She readied herself, remembering the advice that Master had given her, and controlled her breathing.

With one swift, hard punch, she sent the sandbag up in the air, swinging back as far as its chain would allow. But she wasn't done. She continued to attack, moving as quickly as she could, and hitting as hard as she could. Her last hit was a kick, it sent the bag flying across the room into a wall, and dangerously close to Michael's head. But, not surprisingly, he didn't flinch. However, she was satisfied nonetheless, having given an impressive display that clearly pleased her master.

But Michael was not amused.

He turned to Diana, "Have you lost your mind?"

Diana put her hands on her hips, standing her ground. "You left her here, defenseless!"

"I left her here with you! You were to protect her!"

"And I did, I gave her more than she needed to survive!"

"She is doing more than surviving, Diana. She's going out there and facing demons on her own. Now one of the strongest we have ever faced knows her name!"

"What did you expect me to do, Michael? Huh? She is stronger than I ever was! I wouldn't have been able to protect her as well as she has for herself."

"We don't even know what she is or how she exists!"

"SHE is standing right here! And I am a WOMAN who can take care of myself thanks to Diana." She couldn't take it anymore. The two of them talking like she wasn't right there and able to talk for herself. She was really getting sick of people trying to make decisions for her life.

Michael turned his attention to her. "You stupid girl. Do you have any idea what is coming for you? This is something, the likes of which many of us have never seen! Stories have been written about Abel, his strength and cruelty as far back as the Mesozoic era. He is far and away stronger than the Countess, remember her? Had a knife thrust into your chest by your two best friends? This is her times 100!"

"Then why didn't he kill me tonight? If he is so powerful then why didn't he just take me out then and there?"

Michael sneered a wicked smile. "He's playing with his food."

He watched from just outside. Leaving the door open when he walked past them, no one noticed as he knew they wouldn't. They were too busy paying attention to Serena.

He took in the sight of her, the Serena he knew would never have worn such tight clothing. But now it seemed as though she wore them all the time. Serena had grown up into the woman that now stood in the middle of the dojo. He had been right, she was filled out in all the best places, her breasts and hips full. Her pants and top did nothing to hide the fact and he found himself appreciating whoever created 'yoga pants'.

Standing right outside the door with his arms crossed over his chest, he watched her take off. She was beautiful in her movements. They were fast but his eyes were able to keep up. She had so much balance, it was more like a dance than a battle, the sandbag her lucky partner.

The bag flew across the room but his eyes stayed on her, watching her chest rise and fall from her heavy breaths. A small sheen of sweat made her skin shine and he had to fight the urge to walk over to her and wipe it away. He had to pull himself away, finding solace in the cool wall on his bare back. This was no good, he was getting sucked right back into Serena. And if he knew what was good for him, he would distance himself. But he was never very good at taking advice, even his own.

He listened intently as his only family in the world discussed the only woman he had ever loved. Their tone was harsh, even at their distance, his Hunter blood allowed him to make out each and every word.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"You left her here, defenseless!"

Guilt built up like bile in his throat. Not only had Michael left her behind, but he also had as well. And she was right, she had been defenseless.

"She is doing more than surviving Diana, she is going out there and facing demons on her own. Now one of the strongest we have ever faced knows her name!"

How much of that was Diana's or Serena's fault was yet to be seen. Something just wasn't right with this whole thing. It was more than just a Vampire getting some kind of revenge. How in the hell did Amy and Mina's return tie into all of this? It was connected somehow!

"What did you expect me to do Michael? Huh? She is stronger than I ever was! I wouldn't have been able to protect her as well as she has for herself."

"We don't even know what she is or how she exists!"

Well, now that wasn't entirely true. Michael, Diana, and himself knew exactly what she was. How she existed...now that was an entirely different subject that all of their research so far had come up empty. Not that they had any help in the matter. They couldn't exactly go around telling other hunters what she was, it was too dangerous...for her.

"SHE is standing right here! And I am a WOMAN who can take care of myself thanks to Diana."

A tingle ran up his spine. He in no way liked that Serena was out hunting. Defending herself was one thing, but going and looking for fights? He also couldn't help but be in awe of the backbone this girl, his Serena, now possessed. It was a bit of a turn on...

He really needed to get a hold of himself, the last thing he needed to do was complicate things for Serena and himself. "Then why didn't he kill me tonight? If he is so powerful then why didn't he just take me out then and there?"

His breath caught in his throat as he waited for Uncle to deliver the death blow to the blonde. "He's playing with his food."

As much as he wanted to stay away from Serena, to let her have a normal life, something raged deep inside of him. It was carnal and it was overbearing.

Serena walked out, more like stomped out, and he grabbed her wrist from his dark hiding spot. She gasped and tried to pull it away until she saw it was him. For a split second, she seemed to forget who they were to each other and stared at him. A grin crept up on his face when he caught just what she was looking at.

The moment passed and she wrenched her hand from his. "I see someone couldn't wait to tattle to Uncle about our run in tonight."

She had moved her hands to her hips, as far from his grasp as she could get them. "I did what is expected of me and I don't regret it."

Her face fell, "Yeah, you always do what is expected of you, and never regret it no matter who you hurt."

She turned to leave. He knew he should let her go, but he just couldn't. He grabbed her arm again, pulling her back to him. She responded by placing her palm on his chest, keeping him at a distance. He rested his hands on her elbows, keeping her from sprinting away. It was as if he could feel her heart beating in her chest as it resonated with his. A pleasant vibration that traveled up from his hands and all the way to his spine. She was a drug and he was long overdue for a fix.

She wouldn't look at him but he spoke anyway. Saying the words he had practiced over and over again. "I had to leave and you had to stay. What would you have had me do?"

Her eyes were filled with tears that threatened to fall. "I don't know Darien. But you could have at least pretended it was a hard choice for you."

His grip tightened without thought, pulling her even closer to him as he spoke in a harsh whisper. "You don't know how hard it was for me, having to leave you. It killed me, Serena. But I didn't have a choice."

She had to know, didn't she? The pain and confusion it caused him? Feelings he couldn't understand where they came from but somehow feeling as though, being so far away from her was wrong. As if it was against his very nature, his destiny?

Her hand was still on his chest but it did nothing to keep him from bringing her in closer to him. "You could have called, written me, something."

He could smell her skin, the salty sweat mixing with her sweet lavender, as he shook his head. "That would have just made it harder for both of us. You know it would have."

Her eyes had cleared and were now dashing back and forth between his eyes and his mouth as he spoke. Her angel face was craned upwards to his. It would be so easy to kiss her, as easy as breathing.

Her eyes closed as if she was asking him to do what he was thinking. "Do something for me, Darien, then?"

He fought as hard as he could, but his resolve was draining. "What?"

Her eyes snapped open and she pushed him away roughly. "Stop acting as if you know me."

She stomped off, leaving him brooding in the hall alone. What was he doing? Turning, he punched the wall that had just been his support. A small dent in the thick wood was his reward, along with bones that popped in and out of place in a second. Pain ringed through his fist, bringing him out of his haze so regret could settle in in its place. But it was nothing compared to what he felt in his chest. Her pushing him away was physically painful, searing all the way to his bones. Like something was fundamentally wrong with the whole thing. And for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why.

Everyone was still asleep when she got home. Ami and Mina slept together in the loft, as they still had not called any of their family. A sign that neither of them was over the shock that they had endured.

Lita slept in her room and Andrew was surely in there with her. Rei was in hers, their soft breathing much like a lullaby. They were all still safe, for now.

She stripped off her soiled clothes and ran the shower as hot as she could bear. But it was still wasn't enough to calm her frayed nerves.

How can you hate someone and want to rip their clothes off at the same time? Darien had felt the same as her, she could see it in his eyes. She may be inexperienced with men but she knew Darien well enough to know that look. She used to see it when they'd spent that one week in each other's arms. At the time, she had been young and naive…. and stressed about the Vampires trying to rip her apart, to understand it. But now it seemed as clear as day.

He had missed her. The thought brought a smile to her face, but she sure it wasn't enough to forgive him.

Dawn was streaking into her bedroom when sleep finally claimed her again. A haze filled her mind as she slipped away.

Her eyes popped open, finding herself on a cobbled road. The smooth rocks were strange under her feet, making her wobble as she tried to regain her balance. A fog whipped around the empty streets around her, slipping around buildings and trees. It wasn't as thick as the one last night, this one appeared to be a natural occurrence of the climate she was in.

A woman passed by her, knocking her shoulder as she went but not stopping to apologize. She was about to yell at the woman when the woman turned, causing her voice to freeze in her throat. Confusion whipped her brain as the woman who stood before her, frightened out of her little mind, looked _just like her_. Except this woman wore a long billowy dress that was straight out of the 1800s.

The woman completely turned her body towards Serena but still had yet to look at her. Something was behind her, something terrifying. She gained the courage, turning slowly. When a black shadow made up of teeth and red eyes, enveloped her, turning everything into darkness.

The bed creaked loudly as her quick movements caused the whole bed to rock. Sweat covered her again, her and her sheets. Her breath still ragged, she buried her head in her palms, her knees holding the weight of her entire torso. It was starting up again. And it was worse than before.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! Another installment for you. Don't have much last that to say. If you missed it, Time Warped, an SM FF of Rocky Horror Picture Show by Ninjettetwitch Twitch and I is up on her page. It was well received and I am super happy/proud of it! Also check out the recent Hot and Heavy Chronicles, they are all dark and Halloween themed...and hot! Alright lovelies, enjoy!

Oh and shout out to my bae-ta on this chapter, Beej88. Who is my rock on this story for real. I think she does it out of guilt, having PMed me about not liking Vampire based FF before she realized I wrote one lol! Seriously though, I did not take offense boo!

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

" _I wake up and I see the face of the devil and I ask him, "What time is it?"_

 _And he says,_

 _How much time do you want?"_

― _**Diamanda Galás**_ _,_ _ **The Shit of God**_

The street was alive with movement below, but she could hardly process anything going on around her. The dream still weighed heavily on her mind. The girl in it...looked just like her. Same eyes, same hair, her nose was even the same. It was like all of the girl's fears were inside her as well, pulsating like a second heartbeat.

Then there was the creature. Its eyes burned into her still, so much pure evil in them; the likes of which she had never felt before.

The sun was burning her shoulders, but she still couldn't remove herself from her spot on the small balcony. It wasn't really a balcony, just an extension of the fire escape, which was good because all she wanted to do right now was to escape.

Someone came and stood next to her. The wave of golden hair that followed them told her it was Mina. She leaned against the railing with her in silence for several moments.

Then, she turned to Serena. "Ami and I have decided that we want to know. We want to know what happened to us, and where we have been these past three years."

She shifted towards the brave-faced girl. "Are you sure that's something you really want?"

"Yes. We're tired of living in the dark. We want to help you and the others and we both feel the only way to do that is remember." Mina's head bobbed up and down as she spoke, they were set in their resolve.

"Okay...how are we going to do this?"

"Rei is going to help us, but she needs as many people from that time around us as possible….so that means…"

She sighed, her shoulders almost slumping to the floor. "Darien is on his way over."

Mina put a hand on hers. "I'm sorry, but Rei says he's important to the seance…...Serena?" Looking up from the ground, she found Mina's eyes concentrating hard on her. "What happened between the two of you?"

Mina had nothing but love and concern for her shining in her eyes. "He left."

"I know, that is what everyone told me, but there has to be more than that."

"Isn't that enough?" Mina gave her a look. "He left me behind, cut all ties, and didn't contact me at all for five years! He didn't even give me any say in it, he just…..broke my heart."

Mina listened closely and was gentle with her. "From what I understand, he didn't have a choice. I can understand how that hurt you, it would hurt me too. But it hurt him as well. Everyone can see that you are both still in love with one another, why do you fight it?"

"Because he is just going to leave again! He has made no promises to do otherwise. It's like you said, he has no choice, he'll leave and I will be broken. I'd rather not go through all of that again, thank you very much!"

Mina held up her hands in defense. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, but, and this is the last thing I'm going to say, for now, it seems to me that ship has sailed. It's going to hurt when he leaves, regardless."

She left her on the balcony, and now her head swam with her feelings instead of the ones from the dream.

vVv

It took some doing, but everyone was finally there. Serena, Rei, Andrew, Lita, and Darien; all of them were sitting in a circle around her and Mina. The two of them were laying down on the floor while the couch, and all other living room furniture, had been moved aside to make a space open enough for all of them.

Rei sat between them, her hand on one of their shoulders. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her wild heart. She was scared. She didn't know what to expect from her missing time, but given the pins and needles that everyone had been walking on around her and Mina, she had a feeling it wasn't good.

"Are you both sure you want to do this?" Serena asked them for the hundredth time.

She looked over at her concerned friend. Yep, it was bad, but she was sure. They needed to know. With a nod, Rei began.

"Everyone just focus on Mina and Ami. Try and think about how they make you feel."

She glanced around one last time, expecting to see skepticism on their faces, but they all complied without protest, even Andrew and Darien. They must have been through a lot to trust the Priestess so much.

Closing her eyes, she heard only Rei's red and white robes flutter as she moved around them and the chant she spoke.

"Memoriam redire, memoriam redire, memoriam redire,..."

She said it over and over again but nothing was happening. Doing as she had been instructed, she did her best to relax and let her mind go blank.

Minutes passed and still nothing. She was about to give up when a light appeared in her mind's eye. It was a bright red ribbon. It twisted and fluttered before her, begging for her to take it. She reached out, touching the soft material. Then she grabbed on.

Everything flashed around her, memories clicking into place but they were all over the place. A party with a drink, a cornfield, a bedroom, blood….so much blood. Then she was in the sewers again, but this time it was different, the dark wasn't as impenetrable. Her eyes could focus even in the dark. And she was hungry, hungrier than she had ever been. She watched in horror as the Ami she saw picked up a rat and drained it dry of blood.

Everything shifted again, this time she was in some kind of underground bunker. Serena was there...she was..holding her and Serena was trying to get away. Mina stood before her with a knife, the one she saw Serena with the other night. Her blood ran cold as Mina pushed the end of the blade into Serena's chest.

Screaming, she sat up, back in the living room of her friend's apartment. Tears streamed down her face and arms grabbed her, holding her tight to them. Her sight was blurred by the tears, but she could still see the stream of golden hair that nearly covered her face.

She pushed Serena away, who looked back at her with hurt and confusion. "Don't Serena, don't. I don't deserve it. Not from you. I almost...we almost…...I'm so sorry Serena. I never would have…."

Her sobs kept her from being able to complete a full sentence. Serena's eyes softened and she pulled her into her embrace again, stroking her back as she spoke. "It's okay. It wasn't you. I know you would never hurt me."

Through her haze, she looked over to see Mina was still locked in the trance as if she had more to remember than her. Then she sat up, slowly and calmly, searching the room till her eyes landed on Serena.

She crawled over to the two of them. Serena must have picked up on something she did not because she shoved her away. Away from her and from Mina in a protective manner.

Mina crawled all the way to Serena, grabbing up her arm and placing her other hand on her cheek. Mina was stroking Serena's cheek tenderly, like a lover, not a close friend. "Hello, again my little one. I hope you have enjoyed your gift."

Amy flashed her eyes to Darien who sat in controlled power, waiting to pounce.

Serena barely flinched as well. "Abel?"

Mina, or Abel she was confused, laughed. "Yes, you are quick! I had hoped we would have this conversation just you and me…"

"No chance in hell…" Darien spat out.

Serena ignored both of them. "What gift? What are you talking about?"

Mina gestured to herself and to Ami. "Why your friends. I returned them to you."

Serena looked at the both of them. "Returned them to me?"

Mina sighed, "Yes, I set them free and to you. It was what you wanted and I could give it to you so I did. I will give you anything you desire, my little rabbit."

Mina stroked her face, but Serena did not pull away. "Why?"

Leaning in closer, Mina inches away from Serena's face, whispered almost so soft she couldn't hear her. "Because I am your destiny. You will remember soon enough. You belong to me."

And then Mina kissed Serena, or rather Abel did through Mina. Serena sat wide-eyed as Mina's lips touched hers in a short, chaste kiss.

A growl came from Darien but everyone else sat in silence, confused and embarrassed at the passionate moment held between Mina and Serena. It was strange to see, given the relationship between the two of them.

Mina broke the kiss, looking at Serena with a confused face that quickly twisted into a smile. "I love you too, Serena."

It was over, the spell had been broken. It took Mina a minute to register the gravity of all her memories, having had such a strange moment with their dear friend, but it soon came crashing down on her. Tears ran ragged down her face as she hugged Serena, begging her for forgiveness.

Of course, Serena had already forgiven them. She knew it, and surely Mina knew it as well, but they both still begged it of all their friends.

Even with all being absolved, it did nothing to rid her of the guilt she felt.

vVv

Darien left after the seance was over, which she was glad for. The last thing she needed right now was his thoughts clouding hers. She had enough to think about without her feelings for him getting in the way.

Abel had "given" her Ami and Mina back. Something she had never thought possible, and yet he was able to do so. How could he? Could he rid anyone of the Vampire disease? And if he could, he clearly wasn't a good enough soul to do it for all Vampires.

He said she would remember soon, but remember what? Remember that she suddenly liked Vampires? Doubtful. Something told her it had to do with the dream she'd had but she didn't even understand the dream, let alone what it had to do with her or Abel. Maybe it had something to do with why she was the way she was?

She still had no clue as to where she came from. She'd never told her parents that she knew she was adopted. Maybe it was naive of her, but as long as they didn't talk about it, she could keep pretending she was theirs.

Lita and Andrew were in overdrive now, trying to cheer up the two who had just realized the horrors they had committed to all of their friends. She knew they'd be alright, they were strong, but it would take a while.

Rei left soon after Darien. Probably heading to the temple to search or meditate for answers. It didn't matter though, Abel was going to come for her, and those she loved would suffer once again.

vVv

It took her a bit, but she finally caught up with Darien. It wouldn't have been nearly as hard if her robes weren't so hard to run in.

He was moving like a man on a mission, not stopping even after she called after him.

She planted herself in his path. "Darien.."

"Move Rei, I don't have time for this."

"Darien! What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do whatever I can to save her."

He pushed past her so she followed. "Do you even know what you are going to do?"

"It doesn't matter. He can't have her."

She jumped in front of him again. "Don't let your anger control you. We need you level- headed!"

He stopped this time, running a hand through his hair in frustration. It was clear that he was not thinking. She understood, the fear of losing Serena was coursing through her veins and trying to push her to do something rash as well. But they all needed to stay in the game.

He looked at her, a thought finally coming to him. "He said she would remember soon. See if you can get Serena to tell you anything she may know about that."

He turned to leave. "Are you not coming with me?"

Continuing his exit, he called out to her over his shoulder. "I think your chances are better if I'm not there."

"Darien….she never thought you would come back, and yet she still waited for you….Don't leave her again."

"...I won't. But she's going to just keep pushing me…."

"We'll help with that, don't worry."

vVv

Focusing in class had been a draining task on its own. It had been one of her long days, class from 9 to 3 and then meeting with her professors that she assisted. She had to pay for her part of the apartment somehow. If that meant making copies and grading papers then so be it.

On her last stop, Professor Weathers gave her a large stack of essays to grade. She shoved them carefully into her bag and booked it to the tram before she missed the last one.

Now, she was finally home and she had the place to herself. Ami and Mina had finally called home, having regained their memories. They had both left to go spend some time with them. Lita was at work. She'd landed a job at a high-class restaurant setting the plates or something. Rei had left a note on the fridge that she may not even be home tonight, school and then the temple.

Having the place to herself, she stripped as she made her way to her room. Opting for a pair of comfy shorts and a camisole, she grabbed the essays, a red pen, her phone and headphones and escaped to the roof.

You had to take the fire escape to get to it, and all the residents in the building had access that way, but it was rare to find anyone else up there. There wasn't much to it, a few tattered lawn chairs and a table, it was hardly an oasis. However, as the sun began to set, the city would light up, and this spot had the best view of it all.

She wasn't up there for the view today and she pulled out the first essay in the stack. The small blue book seemed like a quick read, but she knew from experience that the size of the book was misleading.

This person had small handwriting too, meaning it was both hard to read, and long-winded. The essay assignment was to compare and contrast the Montessori and the Waldorf teaching philosophies, which one was more beneficial, and why. So not only did she have to make sure the writer knew the differences between the two, she had to make sure they adequately supported their belief in one of the systems. It was going to be a long night.

Night was settling in when she came back down to the apartment, essays in her hands. Lita was in the kitchen, working on something.

"There you are! Have you been up on the roof this whole time?"

She answered her by holding up the stack of now graded essays. Her head and hand were throbbing with fatigue, but she got it done. All she wanted to do now was relax….

"Hey, Serena." Andrew called to her from the couch, causing her to look over at who was sitting with him for the first time, "Hope you don't mind, but I invited Darien over for dinner."

Yes, yes she did mind, in fact. She was pretty sure she had been clear about that man being in this apartment. She had made concessions the night before, letting him be there was beyond her control if they wanted to help Mina and Ami, but now her ruling was back in play.

She glared at the both of them, but only Andrew was affected, cringing under her gaze. Darien just laughed at Andrew only making her even more angry.

"Hey, dinner is almost done! Why don't you go wash up?" Lita was trying to calm her down.

She looked over at her so-called friend, and the look in her eyes made her concede once more. Poor Lita just wanted peace, and she felt compelled to give it to her, if only for the evening. Who knew how many more nights like this they would have together.

Leaning against the sink, she splashed the freezing water over as much skin as she could, trying to cool her emotions down. Her arms, neck, and face were dripping wet when a small knock sounded at the door. She opened it in one swift move, not needing to look to see who it was.

He leaned up against the door frame waiting for her to look at him, she guessed. The most she could do was find his eyes in the reflection, still leaning against the sink, hoping her grip on the smooth cool surface would help her keep her cool as well.

His eyes were dark and stormy, clouded with emotions that were too many to read. His hair fell on his brow in a messy manner, telling her he'd been running a nervous or anxious hand through it. She let her eyes fall to his mouth, the memory of it on hers from years ago suddenly popped into her head, and she had to pull them away again quickly.

After several seconds of silence, he lifted himself off the door frame and moved an inch inside the small bathroom. "I know you don't want me here Serena, but I'm not going anywhere."

She huffed, an automatic response of disbelief that she regretted as soon as it came out. He took another step into the room, leaving little space for anything, especially an escape. He had her trapped.

He ran a hand down her bare arm sending traitorous feelings through her whole body. "Serena…"

Her name came out of his mouth in a whisper, sending even more emotions through her. Emotions she did not want to feel. She pulled away from him as much as she could hoping he would leave.

Instead, he grabbed both her arms gently, turning her around to face him. She stared at the floor, unwilling to look at him, but he put a finger under her chin and pulled her eyes to his.

She pulled out as much venom as she could from her remaining reserves. "You'll leave again. It's what you do. You'll tell yourself and everyone else that it is to protect me but the truth is, it's to protect yourself."

Her words didn't stop him though as he leaned in closer to her face, just like he'd done at his house the other day. "You're going to have to forgive me for that someday."

She laughed darkly, "You won't be around long enough to see it."

Millimeters from her lips, she could feel his ragged breath as it mingled with hers. Her thoughts betrayed her again, finding herself wishing his lips would claim hers...and then claim the rest of her. His lips brushed against hers and her eyes fluttered shut.

But then something changed. His mouth was now on her cheek. She opened her eyes as he pulled away from her, leaving the bathroom. "I guess we will both have to wait and see."

She felt dizzy as the room vibrated from his sudden lack of presence. Turning the cold water back on, she tried to calm herself once again.

vVv

 _Four and a half years ago….._

It was late, but he couldn't sleep. Uncle had said his training was almost complete, and that he was ready for the next step. They were going home.

He held on tightly to the small treasure he had in his hand. Looking at it again, the frayed edges of the picture told the story of just how often he looked at it.

It was the only picture he had of her, taken years ago, but it was the best he could come up with. She stood in her little white dress, smiling broadly at the camera. He used it to help him remember what she looked like now. Closing his eyes he aged her in his mind to look like she did when he'd left.

Six months had passed since then, and he'd been able to refrain from contacting her, but after his Uncle's talk about next steps, he found his fingers itching towards the right buttons on his phone. It was a burner, something his Uncle insisted on like they were running from the law or something. He was lucky to even have that, it was the first phone his Uncle had let him have since arriving at the training grounds and smashing his in front of him.

Soon they would be leaving the 'holy grounds' of his ancestors, going back to the real world.

He had never been so cut off from the world, at first it was like a suppressive force on him, the compound having strict rules on anything from the outside. After a few months, he became thankful for it, it made it easier for him to keep from contacting Serena.

All he really wanted to do was make sure she was alright; to hear her voice again.

He looked at the phone again, the number repeated in his head over and over again.

If he just waited a little longer, he could hear her voice for real. After what he had put her through, she deserved to hear from him face to face. It was going to be a struggle, getting her to forgive him, but he wouldn't give up, not until she was in his arms again.

He let the thought of her secure in his arms relax him to sleep.

The sun had not risen when Darien and his Uncle packed up their small bags and headed to the airport, leaving the compound far behind.

Uncle checked them in, and then handed him his ticket. That was when he saw that it said London, not Tokyo.

"London?"

"A good friend of mine secured you a spot in the pre-med program at Cambridge."

His breath flew out of him, "Cambridge?!"

"Yes, well, he's a very powerful friend and he owes me his life. Literally."

"But I thought…."

"Darien. You've become stronger than I could have ever imagined, and in such a short time as well. You are the strongest the Helsing family line has seen in centuries. There is nothing more that I can teach you in the confines of the compound, you need to get the rest of your training in the field. There have been several reports of deaths and disappearances in London so we are going to be there for a while. You will be able to get your undergraduate degree there as well."

"So we're going to be there for a while?"

"We'll be there as long as it takes."

It was clear to him now. He was glad he hadn't called Serena, he would have had to break her heart all over again. They were never going home.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, so idk why this chapter is so long but you have waited long enough for it. Thank you to my bae-tae Beej88, who by the way, loved this chapter. It really picks up from here guys enjoy the ride!

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

" _Sunshine, if I ever disappear, please tell people that I ran after the Devil, trying to get my soul back."_

― _**April Genevieve Tucholke**_ _,_ _ **Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea**_

It fascinated him, the two of them. They were so obvious; him in his attempts to touch her and her with her determination not to let him. He would reach over, grazing her shoulder as he went for the salt, and she leaned away to "scratch her ankle". He dropped his napkin, leaning over to retrieve it from the floor and while his head went towards her lap, she bounded up for a refill on her almost full glass of water. It was like a dance, the two of them. Both of them denying any feelings they had for one another. Well, Serena was denying. Darien reminded him of the lost little boy that used to chase Serena around when they were children.

He didn't understand why or even how they could stand to be this way. He could never part himself from Lita. The thought alone was enough to make him crazy. Suddenly, he knew exactly how Darien felt in that moment and why he was trying so hard just to touch Serena. He would do the same thing if it were him and Lita. He grabbed Lita's hand under the table to steady the nerves he'd kicked up at the thought. She squeezed his hand back without question as the two of them watched the drama, live in front of them. Who needed tv when you had these two?

The front door banged open, revealing a frantic looking Rei, causing everyone at the table to jump up.

Rei ran by, heading over to our 'secret' chest of weapons, opening it up. "Apartment complex, somewhere on 21st street."

Serena left to go to her room, probably getting dressed, while Lita joined Rei at the chest. "Somewhere on 21st? Can't you be a bit more specific?"

"I'm not a GPS Andrew!" Rei practically screeched at him, he'd never seen her so upset. "Besides, we will know it when we see it, trust me."

He trusted that he was not looking forward to knowing what that meant, a cold harsh shiver running up his spine. Serena reappeared wearing one of her usual hunting outfits, tight and dark. Her ability to change so quickly was astounding and she made his polo and khakis seem silly as he joined the group to get armed. Lita handed him his favorite bat and they all moved to leave before Darien stopped them.

"What the hell do you all think you are doing?"

Darien looked confused, like he didn't already know this was what they usually did. Serena paused at the front of the group, turning to give the man an irritated look. Probably more mad that the group actually stopped for him than with his question. But she didn't say a word which he found surprising, given the looks she was giving him.

After a long pause and valuable time wasted, Rei looked over at Darien, glaring at him as well. "We don't have time to discuss this Darien. And believe me, you are going to need our help with this one."

vVv

Rei was not kidding, the apartment they were looking for stood out like a sore thumb. The whole building was swept up in a dark aura and what lights were working flashed on and off like strobe lights. It reminder her a bit of the haunted house they'd gone to all those years ago, a shiver involuntarily running up her spine at the memory. A few windows were open, others were broken, and glass littered the ground around them. It looked like a gateway straight to hell.

She pulled her thin sword from its sheath and Darien gave her a scathing look, either not wanting her to get involved or disappointed that she needed a weapon. Whatever the reason, she shrugged it off. She was going inside and she was using her blade, not all of them were happy to get their hands dirty.

Taking careful steps up the small stairway to the tiny landing made of cement, they stood at the ready as Lita opened the door, pulling a few times before it finally gave way to her. The hinges squealed loudly, as if the door hadn't opened in years, but it was due to the extra weight on the door. Everyone but Darien jumped back as a body fell backwards onto the steps. The corpse, once a man, had been disemboweled, his internal organs missing.

Darien took a step closer looking deep into the cavity of the body while the rest of them tried to keep their dinner intact. She'd seen a lot over the years, but this definitely took the cake, causing her stomach to flip. She took deep breaths to keep from completely losing to her belly. Darien searched lower and she saw what he'd found. The man's jewels were missing too. Then he sniffed the air, searching for some kind of scent, while she had to again keep her stomach at bay. Glancing around, she saw the white and slightly green faces of the others and knew it wasn't just her.

Darien stood, looking deep into the apartment complex's dark entry. "It's Pontianaks. And it looks like it's a lot of them."

Lita's already pale face grew even paler, all the blood leaving her face completely. "Pontianaks? What's that?"

"They're like Vampires, but they feed on internal organs instead of blood. Legends say that they're women who died during childbirth."

They followed behind him as he went inside, Andrew and Lita hesitating slightly and coming in at the rear. Sounds could be heard echoing off the walls as they stood in the middle of the staircase looking up. Screams of men and women and a few demons as they chased their prey. But as soon as they stood in the middle of the dark room and looked up, everything became deathly silent. The Pontianaks knew they were there. Probably smelling the Hunter they'd brought with them.

Rei looked around at the group. "We need to split up. There are too many of them and too many floors."

Darien didn't look happy about it but he didn't fight it. "They mostly attack men but will still go after a woman if they get in the way or piss them off."

She looked over at Andrew as all the blood drained from his face yet again. "Andrew, you're with me. Lita, go with Rei."

She was surprised when no one objected to her partnering, splitting off as she'd said and heading for the stairs, even though Darien looked like he might boil over about it. Darien could take care of himself, no one was questioning that, but he probably wanted her with him, his over-protective tendencies kicking in. Andrew was the one who was in the most danger and she was the second strongest. Rei could protect Lita while they took out what they could.

Darien came in close to her but spoke to all of them. "You will smell a floral scent at first, but when they are closer, you will smell rot. That is when you need to prepare yourselves. Aim for their hearts or take off their head, just like a Vampire."

The others made their way to the stairs, but Darien grabbed her hand, stilling her. She looked at him, finding his eyes on hers and struggling to pull away from him. She could pull herself out of a Vampire's compulsion and yet she could not break away from the Hunter's stare.

"Be careful."

She was insulted by his insinuation, his spell on her broken in an instant. "We have been doing fine without you for years now. I can take care of myself."

She pulled her hand from his and met up with Andrew who was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He watched her every move with a smug smirk on his wasn't sure why, but she looked back at him, no shame or embarrassment in the least that she'd caught him looking her over.

He winked, "See you soon," then disappeared into the darkness.

Another shiver ran up her spine, no matter how hard she tried to contain it. Andrew smirked at her, and she bounded up past him. She gave his shoulder a gentle but firm knock as she passed, causing him to chuckle at her while her cheeks burned.

Lita and Rei split at the third floor, it looked worse for wear but quiet while they continued on to the seventh. Andrew gave Lita a small peck on the cheek before she disappeared, making her worry that the blonde man would be distracted with his thoughts of her the whole time. Splitting them up was a good plan, as long as the two of them didn't overburden themselves with worry and get themselves killed while distracted. Darien had braved the elevator, taking it to the top, level twenty. Even with her muddled feelings towards the man, she found herself struggling to focus as she worried about him as well. The feeling must be tenfold for Lita and Andrew. There were a lot of floors to clear, it was going to be a long night and she needed to focus.

They pushed open the door to the seventh floor hall and were immediately blown back by the smell of rot and blood. Several doors remained shut but the few that were opened had blood pooling out of them. Andrew carefully walked around the blood, doing his best not to make any sounds.

She called down the hall, "Anyone here? If you are, stay inside, it's not safe!"

A muffled voice came through one of the doors. "I've called the cops!"

Great, just what they needed. 5-O coming in here and either shooting one of them or adding to the body count of innocent victims.

Darien said that they were close if you smelled rot, but that was all she could smell. Even with her strong sense of smell, the rot was overpowering. They were masking their smell, filling the air with as much blood as possible. Were they waiting for them? Planned all of this from the start?

Her senses tingled and she reached out, grabbed Andrew by the collar and pulled him back. A Pontianak slashed the air where he'd stood just seconds ago. Then it turned and growled at her. Guess she was either in the way or she'd pissed it off. It looked like both to her.

She readied her sword, pulled it back up to her shoulder and ran full speed towards the creature. It came at her in return. It was demon chicken and she was going to win.

Her blade hit, pulling it through in a clean, swift movement. It was a full second before its head hit the floor and its body dropped. She continued down the hall, flicking the blood off her blade. Andrew came up behind her, throwing salt on the body and setting it on fire. He caught up to her quickly, not wanting to be far from her, which was a good choice given the circumstances. There would be no warning, the floral scent would not be there to ready them. They were going to have to go off of her senses completely.

With four floors done, they had decided to double back and help Darien. It wouldn't be much longer before the cops showed up and her and Andrew were covered in the thick blood of these Pontianak. She'd killed four and Andrew had killed two, smashing their brains into pulp, getting blood all over both of them.

This was one of the benefits of wearing dark clothes for this line of work. A trick that had yet to occur to Andrew as his bright blue shirt now illuminated the dark blood on him. Her skin, however, was another story. So pale that it made the blood stand out even worse than on Andrew's shirt.

They made their way up the multiple flights of stairs. It was impossible to know where Darien was or where he'd been. Contacting Rei and Lita had been easy, they just called their phones. The two of them were waiting outside the building for them hoping to stall the cops if they could. But none of them even knew if Darien had a phone.

They started at the top, peeking in on the floors and checking for any Pontianaks. Each floor held the aftermath of war, but no Pontianaks or Darien. The halls were quiet and still, dead.

Making it to the eleventh floor, they stepped inside and an overwhelming sensation of doubt clouded over her. The door slammed hard behind them and something told her things were not right. The hairs on her neck stood straight up and her chest twisted with anticipation and worry. Something was wrong, very wrong.

There was no blood in sight on this floor, not on the ground or the walls. But there was a trail of blood leading down the hall and around the corner. Andrew stayed right behind her and her heart raced as she followed it. Turning the corner, at the end of the hall, was a large lump of a man slumped up against the wall. His stomach gutted and his intestines were pulled out, stretching across the floor to a creature who was bent over munching on them.

It started as a tremble, but then she started to shake, her whole body going into a frenzy. Looking closely at the corpse, its black hair covered its face keeping it hidden from view. Black hair and olive skin….just like Darien.

Tears burned her eyes, blurring her vision and ability to think. A scream curled out of her throat and through her lips. It sounded inhuman even to herself. Before she even knew what was going on, feet pounded the stiff carpet as she rushed at the monster on the floor. She could hear Andrew calling after her but not what he was saying, her mind was set on the bitch who'd killed Darien.

She rammed her sword into the heart of the creature, the power behind it so hard that it propelled them both backwards, slicking the tip of the blade deep into the wall behind them.

The creature stopped moving so she released the blade. It stuck to the wall even with the heavy body of the Pontianak on it. She leaned down to Darien's body, tears falling unchecked down her cheeks, her heart twisting and the chrysalis around it shivering. It felt as if something was threatening to release inside her. She gently touched his shoulders, her control slipping from her the more she looked on his corpse, then cupped his face so she could kiss his cold lips. Just as her hands touched his icy skin, a voice called out to her from behind.

She turned, a grimace heavily set on her face and ready to pound anyone who came near her or the hollow cast that remained of the only man she'd ever loved. Tears still blurred her sight, but she could make out two figures behind her. Wiping at her eyes, she looked again and her breath caught in her throat. Standing next to Andrew...was Darien. But he didn't stand for long, sprinting to get to her side. Her brain was foggy with relief and it washed over her whole body, putting her in a numb euphoria, even as Darien yelled at her.

She didn't understand what he was saying, only that it made her turn around back to the body that wasn't Darien's. It lifted its face, revealing blood red eyes, the same ones from her dreams. Pulling her up with it as it stood, quickly getting to its feet. Her senses returned to her in a flash and she managed to pull her wrist free from him, getting a few steps away before the red-eyed creature swept her up again. Darien reached them just as his hands tightened around her, but he managed to release her long enough to knock Darien back, his body crashing into Andrew's the only sound in the hall.

His breath fanned her face as he spoke. "My little rabbit, I had no idea you cared so much."

She spat in his face. "I thought you were someone else you dick."

He laughed as he wiped her saliva off of his ugly face. "What a mouth you have, so pretty yet so dangerous."

He forced his mouth onto hers, kissing her roughly. She bit his lip and pushed on him as hard as she could, spitting out the blood that had rushed into her mouth from cutting his lip with her teeth. He released her only to grab her again. This time his touch seared through her, burning and spreading all over her body till white blinded her vision. It was as if her body was on fire and she squirmed in hopes of getting free. Images began to flash before her, too fast to understand, but they were starting to slow down.

She was ripped from his hold and she found herself in Andrew's arms, tossed to him by Darien who took it upon himself to kick the crap out of Abel. Now she felt numb, the fire receding, but a mixture of adrenaline and euphoria filled her once panicked body. All the back and forth with her emotions and the amount of work they'd done that night was hitting her hard and making her feel weak. Andrew dragged her away, rounding the corner and she caught a glimpse of Darien landing a punch on Abel's jaw. A sickening pop followed the hit.

Andrew took the both of them back to the stairwell and her wits finally returned, pushing against him trying to get free of his hold. But whatever Abel had done to her weakened her greatly and she couldn't even free herself from Andrew.

She hit his chest with pathetic punches. "Andrew go back, we can't leave him to fight alone!"

He didn't slow in their escape. "Serena you're in no shape to fight. We'll just get in the way. Darien is a real Hunter, a true Van Helsing. He can take care of himself."

Rei and Lita were waiting for them on the street. Once they were outside, they both ran to them, their mouths opening to ask something. But they were all silenced when the sound of glass breaking drew everyone's attention back up to the eleventh floor. Abel's body was falling towards them, after being tossed through the window, and they all took several quick steps back. He righted himself, landed on his feet, stood slowly and looked at all of them, but mainly her. As much as she didn't want it to, her first thoughts were of Darien even as Abel stood before her. Wondering instantly if Abel had bested him and he was dead or dying back up on that floor above them. Abel took a step towards them and then something, or rather someone landed hard on top of him.

Darien had him pinned to the ground but it wouldn't be long before he broke free.

He looked up at the four of them, anger filling his face. "Get her out of here!"

She pulled again at Andrew's hold, fighting to stay by Darien's side the whole way as she watched him disappear in the distance.

vVv

After cleaning the blood off of their skin and changing their clothes, Andrew left her on the couch, and stood at the back of the apartment with wooden stake at the ready. He tossed one to Lita, her and Rei managing not to get a single drop of blood on them, as she joined him in his watch.

Rei set about putting up a protection barrier around the apartment, chanting and slapping up runes and scrolls. None of them knew if the rules still applied, if Abel needed an invitation to enter their home. They didn't own it and he was as old as Jesus. There was no way to know what rules did or didn't apply to him.

Everyone's attention was drawn away from her and all she could do was sit and think about Darien. He was still out there, they'd just left him to fight alone. Sure, he was a Hunter, but Abel was powerful. There was no way Darien could handle the creature alone. With no one watching, she sat up, left the couch, and made a break for the door. Wrenching the door open, she swung it wide and was met by Darien, who stumbled in. She caught him, his shoulder baring a deep gash that he held together as best as he could.

"LITA!"

She pulled him over to the couch and threw him down, checking him over for other wounds, he waved her off. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Bastard clipped me then flew off. I made sure I wasn't followed, I don't think he knows where you live."

Rei shouted from a corner. "I'm putting up a barrier anyways."

"Can't he just...sniff us out?" Lita was looking around frantically, as if Abel would pounce any second.

"He could but….he would need a good source of a scent like bed sheets or clothing." Darien tried to sit up and she pushed him down again.

Andrew stayed by the window, not ready to relax yet. "What the hell was that? Did Abel plan all that?"

Darien sat up, his face twisting in pain and she pushed him back down on the couch again. "He must have set the Pontianaks loose on that building. He doesn't know where Serena is but he knows how to draw her out," and turned his eyes on her, "and we made it easy for him."

Lita appeared with their big first aid kit and a bowl of water with a cloth. She grabbed the scissors out of the kit, carefully cutting away the torn and blood soaked fabric. Then she started cleaning the wound. Lita excused herself, the sight of blood making her queasy. Serena had long ago gotten used to the sight of blood. She thought Lita had as well but, clearly, she was wrong.

She was doing her best to be gentle but she heard him sucking his teeth a few times as she worked. "He could have killed you."

Darien smiled through the pain at her. "No he couldn't, he was just lucky. I was distracted."

"I thought you were dead. I saw that body and I thought….."

He placed a hand on hers, pausing her cleaning. "That's what he wanted you to think, he used an illusion on you. But something like a Pontianak isn't going to be what does me in."

She found little comfort in his words, pulling her hand free from his and finished cleaning his wound, wondering just how strong Abel was to get an illusion to work on her. She pulled a needle and thread from the first aid kit and began threading it.

"Uh, do you know what you're doing?" Darien eyed her suspiciously.

Andrew, still at the window, answered him. "Don't worry, she's had a lot of practice on us."

It was sad but true, she had become the resident steady handed sewer of flesh. The first time had been when she was the only one _not_ in need of stitches, as she never did.

She rubbed some numbing cream around the wound and set to work. Her face inches from his skin, she felt his eyes watching her while she sewed. She expected him to whine at least a little, as the cream didn't block out all pain, but instead he sat in silence. She had one knee on the couch while the other sat in between his legs to give her the best angle over his shoulder. Eventually, she got tired and had to sit on his knee. He placed his free hand on her back to support her, the warmth of it soaking through the the thin cloth of her t-shirt in seconds.

The others, either satisfied that they were safe for the night or too tired to keep up their patrol, went to bed while she was still sewing. It had taken almost an hour, but the end of Darien's long, deep, slash was within her reach.

"That was reckless of you. Going after that last Pontianak."

She kept her eyes focused on her task, even with his mouth right at her ear. "I killed it. Isn't that what we are supposed to do?"

His hand began slowly stroking her back. "You were blinded by your anger. You attacked without thought."

She huffed, "Like you've never done the same thing."

"Yeah and look where it got me. Abel hurt you, he...touched you. I was reckless because of that and now you are sewing me up as a result."

She had forgotten about the kiss. Suddenly, she felt dirty and desperate to brush her teeth. She finished tying off the last stitch and sat back, looking over her work.

"Not bad."

He was looking at the stitches then back at her. With their proximity and the position she was in -basically sat in his lap- she found herself blushing. She promptly hid her face in the first aid, grabbing goss and wrapping it around his shoulder to finish the job.

She was all set to remove herself from him but his hand held fast to her back, keeping her still. Unsure of how long it had been there, she felt the heat of his hand from his wounded shoulder as it rested on her thigh.

Out of nowhere, he popped the knee she sat on up, just enough to knock her off balance and fall forwards onto him. It was dumb luck that her hands landed on the couch behind his head, supporting her from falling onto his injured shoulder. As if she hadn't been too close to him before, now their noses touched. She gripped the back of the couch tightly, hoping to steady her racing heart.

"Don't you _ever_ be that foolish again."

He was referring to her close encounter with the devil. Pissed, she tried to right herself and get off his lap, but his hand held her where she was.

She glared back at him. "Don't **you** get yourself killed. Especially over me."

Her glare did nothing to intimidate him. Instead, he smiled back at her. "You're worth it."

She wanted to slap him, but if she lifted a hand to do so, there would be nothing to stop her full weight from crashing down on him. "Don't say that. Don't you dare say that. I don't want anyone dying for me."

His smile didn't falter in the slightest. "Guess I will just have to live for you instead."

No matter how hard she tried, a smile escaped her grimace for a second, but he still caught it. She tried to get up again but he held her still, a sigh escaping from her as she rolled her eyes at him. "I need to wash the ancient Vampire out of my mouth."

A growl came from his throat, angry at the memory of Abel's mouth on hers, but it got him to release her. She made a speedy escape to the bathroom, letting her heart slow down as she rested against the back of the door. It wasn't Abel's threats or close calls that had her so rattled, it was Darien's.

When she came back out, Darien was fast asleep in the same position she had left him. He was far from the boy she remembered, except when he slept. She lost herself watching his face. The rise and fall of his chiseled chest that matched the puffs of air escaping his lips. His hair fell over his eyes and she had to physically stop herself from brushing them away for him. She could have watched him all night, sincerely considering it for a moment. But then her exhaustion tapped her on the shoulder. She did the best she could to make him comfortable and went to bed herself.

vVv

Three weeks ago….

The shrill beep of his phone as it rang broke the small semblance f silence, disturbing his research into a recent string of illness that was going around in the area. He suspected it was an Asag, a demon who liked to cause sickness. At the moment he was trying to hack into the CDC's records to get a better idea of what was going on.

His phone flashed the name and number of his old lab partner from Cambridge. A nice girl who just didn't seem to get the hint.

"Hi Beryl." (an: couldn't resist)

"Darien, how are you doing?"

He tried to sound polite instead of blatantly uninterested as he was. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you free this Saturday? There is a party I was hoping we could go to...together...as a date. What with Graduation this weekend, it might be our last chance to see one another."

This girl was shameless. The Adan rang out in the background and he was sure she heard it as well. "That would be nice, but unfortunately I'm out of the country."

"Out of the country?! Where are you?"

"Saudi Arabia."

"What the hell are you doing there?!"

"Oh I'm..," he looked back at his screen, his hacking program working on and nearly complete, "running down a lead on a job."

"Really? There? You're not coming to graduation?"

He had long ago lost interest in the conversation, if he ever had it in the first place. "I'm afraid not."

"So...this is goodbye?" Sadness leaked through the phone and he figured it was supposed to affect him.

"Goodbye, Beryl."

He cut her off mid-sentence when his computer pinged its victory. Pulling up report after report he found nothing too out of the ordinary. It looked like it was a bad case of the flu going around.

"What do we have?"

He closed the computer before facing his Uncle. "Looks like we have nothing. Just a case of the flu."

"Good. We have to go."

"Go? Already?"

"Yes. Your Aunt has called us back. We have to go home."

Every part of him froze at the single word _home_. He had been dreaming of this day for years now and it was finally here. A strange warmth spread in his chest, one he hadn't felt since he'd left Serena behind. He was sure she was the only person in the world that could make him feel this way, his heart warming and racing as if it had been dead all this time and was suddenly coming back to life at the thought of her. But now it had been so long, there was no way he could see Serena again. She would have moved on by now. Finding someone else to be with…..

The thought of her with someone else made his blood boil, the comforting warmth turning into something painful. Someone holding her and kissing her, it was all he could do to keep himself from throwing his belongings into his suitcase and running to the airport. Suddenly, he couldn't get to Tokyo fast enough.

vVv

He woke in a strange place, but that was nothing new to him. Remembering he was at Serena's he rose hastily to find her, pulling at his stitches. A groan escaped his mouth unwittingly before somewhat tumbling towards Serena's bedroom.

But her bed was empty. The sun had just begun to rise and now his panic was as well. Abel had found her and taken her all while he foolishly slept on the couch.

The front door opened slowly and he whirled around to find Serena walking back into the apartment like it was nothing.

"Where the hell were you?"

Shocked, she looked at him like he was the crazy one. "I went for a run."

"You did what?"

She put her hands up, pacifying him. "Geez, Darien, calm down. I run every morning."

Her attempts to calm him only goaded him on, her lack of self awareness clear as day to him. "And you don't feel that it's a bit foolish to be going out by yourself right now?"

She turned on him. "What am I supposed to do? Cower in my high tower and stop having a life?"

"Until we kill Abel, yes."

She threw her hands up in the air and let out an exasperated yell. Taking a few steps away from him, she spun towards him again putting her hands on her hips. Now still, he couldn't help but take in her appearance. She wore clothes, tight and skimpy, that she would have never worn back when he knew her. Her tank top and capris clung to her like a second skin. Sweat glistened off her chest only drawing more attention to the tops of her breast popping out of the neckline of her top. And to make matters worse, she was still catching her breath, making her chest heave up and down. He could feel his resolve softening, his brain and words turning to mush.

The look on her face told him that he was caught and now she was moving closer to him. "Is there anything else, Darien?"

"Huh?" He was having a hard time thinking clearly and the closer she got the harder it got.

She stood right under him now. "If you are concerned then maybe next time you should come with me."

She walked away heading towards the bathroom, lifting her shirt up over her head before walking through the door and out of sight.

Now he felt like he'd just run a mile. That was definitely not the same Serena he grew up with.

He heard the water start so he went back to the couch with a flop and did his best to try and not think about her in the shower. Water cascading over her body. A body that he would love to see naked. God, he was supposed to be thinking about anything else and here he was actually trying to imagine it! As if his imagination could ever compare to the reality.

Her walking by in nothing but a towel ten minutes later did not help.

vVv

When she came back out to the living room, Lita and Andrew were sitting in the kitchen with Darien. Signaling the end of her fun. She was having a good time messing with him, pay back for the way he had been messing with her.

That said, she didn't bother changing her outfit, which she wore in hopes of throwing Darien off his kilter some more. Even in the early hours of her run, she could tell it was going to be a hot day. She put on a loose silk skirt with purple and white flowers print with lace at the hem that ended mid-thigh. With a tight white tank on top and her hair in a ponytail, she swished into the kitchen more than she normally would.

But Andrew had him fully distracted taking all the fun out of her entrance.

"If we could find a place near here, that would be great."

She gave Lita a confused look, but Lita had stars in her eyes. "They're talking about being roommates!"

Lita was swooning but she wasn't falling for it. "Are you sure you want to sign a lease with this guy, Andrew? He's just going to skip town in a few weeks."

Giving her an angry eye, Lita jabbed her elbow into her ribs hard. But it didn't wipe the smile off her face, even as Darien gave her a look of indifference.

"I'll sign a lease with you in complete confidence my friend!" Andrew clapped a hand on Darien's shoulder, forgetting the large gash the man had received the night before.

A hiss came from Darien and her feet took her to his side without her permission. "I'm okay. Just a little stiff."

Ignoring him, she started unwrapping his bandages to take a closer look. "Damnit Andrew, he popped a stitch!"

Andrew shrugged while she went to get the first aid kit out again. Darien was back on the couch when she returned, waiting for her. She assumed the same position as last night however, this time she was in a skirt. As much as it pleased her to see the look on Darien's face as she practically straddle him, she was regretting her outfit choice.

He rested his hand on her thigh like before but this time it was on her bare skin. He squeezed it while she worked to repair the damage, using it to help with the pain, although she was pretty sure it was just an excuse.

She leaned in closely while she worked, hoping to make the new stitches tighter. "So is this what I have to do to get you close? Pop a stitch?"

She frowned, "I wouldn't suggest it, you'll get an infection."

He squeezed her thigh again but this time she wasn't touching him; he was asking for her attention. "It would be worth it."

A shiver went down her spine and he felt it. His other hand was rubbing her back again, gently holding her close to him, closer than she needed to be anyways. This time she wasn't fighting it, she was trapped in his stormy eyes again, unable to pull away. What was it about this man? It made no sense, his control over her. She had been able shrug off any attempts at mind control by many a nasty beast and yet here she was leaning into the skid of the Hunter. He pulled at her with no effort and it irked her deeply. Not that she could do anything about it, clearly.

However, she sensed an audience, breaking the hold he had on her to her relief. Looking up she caught Lita and Andrew watching them. They quickly turned away but she had seen them. She put the bandage back in place and hurriedly got off of him and back on her feet. Making a hasty exit to her room.

vVv

Twisting, he glared at the two idiots behind him. They sheepishly retreated deeper into the kitchen. Before he could get off the couch and go after her, Serena reemerged with her backpack and a large stack of blue books.

"I've got to stop by school for a bit." She didn't look at any of them as she bee-lined to the door.

"Damn Serena, I thought you finished all your exams last week?" Lita yelled, not leaving the kitchen.

Serena held the large stack of blue books up as high as she could. "I did finish last week and now I need to turn these exams into my professor before he flips his lid!"

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast?" Lita mothered her.

Serena took her hand off the door and returned to the kitchen. Just when Lita thought she was going to sit and eat with them, she grabbed an apple from the island, held it up as proof, and returned to her escape.

He stepped in front of her, stopping her again. "I thought we discussed this this morning? You don't need to be going out alone."

She huffed, "Come on Darien, it's the middle of the day, I'll hardly be alone."

"Being surrounded by possible victims is not what I meant and you know it. Abel could use any of them to get to you. Or worse, send Zombies." He couldn't help the shiver that ran through him at the thought of Zombies, they were the worst. "I'll come with you."

She put a hand on his chest, pushing him out of her way. "No you won't. You need to stay and rest so you can heal."

Watching his face, she grimaced, and left the door. He thought he had managed to keep her home but she soon returned to his dismay. This time she came with a scarf. She then proceeded to wrap it around his neck tying it in a knot behind his neck. All her movements were so quick, he didn't get a chance to enjoy her closeness or the blush that was on her cheeks.

Serena pulled away and out of reflex, he wrapped his un-slinged arm around her waist and pulled her back to him. He himself was unsure where that reflex came from, his body acting as if her leaving was a death sentence to him. And to her. She released the air in her lungs in surprise, her blue eyes going wide.

He was surprised himself, but he had done it now. "Be smart Serena, let me go with you."

For a moment, it looked like she might cave, but instead she gently pressed on his wound making him crumble back away from her. "You need to focus on healing." She didn't hurt him too much, just enough to get her point across, but he still pleaded with his eyes finally getting her to cave. "Okay, I'll take Andrew with me." Andrew stood without protest to go with her. He opened his mouth to protest for him but she cut him off. "Andrew and I have been working as a team for years. We have each other's backs. You on the other hand can't even take care of your own until that shoulder heals."

And that was that. They left without another word.

"You hungry?"

He turned his head, looking at a miffed Lita who now was left with food for four people. Careful when he got up, he joined her at the table, eating in silence.

vVv

Andrew sat next to her in comfortable silence. He watched the world fly by outside the window as the tram sped it's way further into downtown.

Sparing a look over at Serena, he found her reading a book, unfazed by his presence. Thinking back to what she had said less than an hour ago, he started to get mad at his dear friend.

"Serena, don't you think you are being too hard on Darien?"

She slapped the book close and looked him in the eye. "What?"

"The guy is trying really hard. I thought you believed in second chances?"

"I do."

His blood was slowly getting warmer and warmer the longer she gave him a cross look. "Then why are you not giving Darien one? He's a good guy Serena, one of the best I know and you are tearing him apart. You're being cruel."

"You forget Andrew. I already gave him a second chance. And he walked away from it."

"Okay well then give him a third chance."

She turned her body towards him, a frustrated sigh releasing as she did. "What is your deal Furuhata?!"

"He is going to stay Serena. He is going to stay for you. But not if you keep pushing him away. Not if he thinks you don't want him here." He was talking with his hands, something only did when he was truly frustrated.

"I don't want him here!" She was screaming at him now.

"Yes you do. I can see it in the way you look at him…."

"And how do I look at him?"

"Like a savior. A gift from God, here to save you from your terrible woes."

"I don't need to be saved."

"No….but you want to be."

They had been staring at one another, challenging each other but now she turned away again, arms crossed definitely across her chest. He had to laugh, she was just like Darien sometimes.

"Look Serena, you may think you want him gone. That he doesn't deserve any more chances, and you may be right. But you still need to give him one because if you don't, you will regret it for the rest of your life. He is your one Serena. You two belong to one another."

His peace said, he returned to watching the world in silence, perfectly content with ignoring the stubborn brat the rest of their trip out.

vVv

Andrew still wasn't speaking to her by the time they got home. He went straight to Lita's room and shut the door. She wasn't sure why he was even considering getting an apartment, he lived here.

The sun was a little over halfway through its stretch across the sky, making the windows in her room shine like gold. She loved this time of day in her room simply for that reason. All she wanted was to flop in her bed and not wake up till tomorrow.

However, there was a dark haired mass taking up a good portion of her bed.

He snored softly on top of her covers. On his back, making sure to protect his shoulder, he was propped up on her pillows. Probably fell asleep waiting for her. She carefully climbed on the bed next to him, sitting across from him. The shirt she had cut him out of was discarded on the floor. He now wore a bright blue tank that she was pretty sure belonged to Andrew. It did not fit him very well, in size or color.

She inched her way towards him and moved his bandage just enough to take a peek at his stitches. They looked good, given the circumstances. She rubbed a finger across them lightly, feeling the jagged frays of the thread as it stuck oddly out of his skin.

It was not the first time she wished her healing ability was transferable. The first time was when Rei got a claw through her calf. It took her three months before she could walk normally on that leg. Sometime she swore she saw her still limp from time to time. Another time was when Andrew got tossed through a wall. He had been lucky to have found a spot of plaster instead of a metal beam. Two cracked ribs and every time he coughed, they had all held their breath. Lita had gotten away with minor scrapes and bruises, mostly due to Andrew intervening.

Now she wished more than anything that she could help Darien. He had gotten his wound because of her, just like everyone else, it was all her fault. Danger always found her. Maybe it was good thing that Darien had left, he might be dead by now if he had stayed, killed because of her.

And now Abel might kill them all just to get to her. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't. She would give herself over to Abel before it got that far, even if he did kill her, at least she would die knowing they would have long happy lives.

Except maybe the man sleeping before her. She didn't know what he would do if she died for him. No matter how much she wished to deny it, she knew Darien loved her and that he would die for her. It was a fact that haunted her still, the idea of him risking it all for her when she struggled with him being so near. It threatened her way of living, surviving on her own and protecting her heart to the fullest. He was a threat to her heart more than anything else.

His face was scruffy, in need of a shave. She brushed his hair off of his face and when he didn't move from her touch, it emboldened her. She moved closer, examining his face, a face she used to know so well now was a stranger to her.

There was a small scar just to the right of his nose, so small it hid in the curve of his bridge, invisible from a distance. Another new scar in his left brow, almost completely obscured by his brow hair. It had been a deep one, cutting almost to the bone. Along his jawline, one stretched out from his ear. It was almost as long as her pointer finger.

She touched and examined them all. Till she had counted them all. She moved on to the rest of his body, keeping a mental note of each one. She found several more on his arms, when his lips parted and let out a moan, she froze, sure she had been caught.

But he didn't stir any more than that. She moved back to his face, watching for signs of him waking. His lips parted, letting puffs of air flutter across her face.

Andrew's words rang in her mind. Whether she gave him another chance or not, she couldn't deny that Darien would always have a place in her heart. Even with it firmly wrapped up tight, she could still feel it beat wildly when he was around. Denying it to everyone else was easy, but to herself…..

Giving in, if for only a moment, she brushed her lips across his, keeping her eyes open wide for any signs of him waking. He didn't move. She pressed her lips harder to his, letting her eyes finally close. Instinct took over, her hand grabbed his face, pulling her in closer. She sucked gently on his bottom lip, glad to have someone else on her lips instead of Abel.

It only lasted for a second, that was all she would allow. Darien was still snoring, but now a smile played on his lips as if he knew what she had done.

Slipping away, she cursed, and then went back over to her desk. Grabbing a post-it, she wrote a quick note and stuck it to his chest before leaving him asleep on the bed.

vVv

Pain erupted through him, waking him with a start. He had rolled over onto his bad shoulder in his sleep. The pain of it had woken him. Looking around, he remembered that he had come into Serena's room to rest. He had looked through her books, a large collection given the girl he used to know, and looked through the papers of work she had on her messy desk. Really, her desk was the most like the old Serena of all her things. Her desk, and her closet, which was a mess of clothes. After nosing around for a few minutes, he had stretched out on the bed, dozing off.

He didn't mean to sleep so long, glancing at the clock he saw that he had been out for a few hours. Serena should be back by now but she was definity not in her room with him.

Stepping out into the rest of the apartment, he found it empty and panic began to rise in his chest, tightening to an almost painful effect. He didn't see Andrew anywhere either.

"Serena? Andrew?"

Silence. He was alone in the apartment. Finding it difficult to breathe, his adrenaline kicking into overdrive, he had to take steadying breaths just to think straight.

Rushing towards the door, he heard some paper dancing in the wind and a light weight on his chest. He looked down to find a bright pink post-it stuck to him. Darien ripped it off, reading it quickly, and laughed.

 _Calm down, I'm on the roof_

 _-Serena_

He found her, asleep in an old lounge chair. Laying on her side with a book on the ground close to her, the sun hitting her hair and making it glow. One arm rested across her ribs while the other curled up next to her face. Her hair was splayed out all around her, coming loose in her sleep for its tie. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically while her little, pink lips parted slightly, releasing a small snore.

He could have easily watched her for hours but it was getting darker by the second and Abel was still on the loose and out looking for her. She was far too vulnerable up here.

Her, already short, skirt had hitched up even higher on her thighs, his first move was to correct that. His next move was lifting her up with this one good arm and taking her downstairs.

Rei was in the living room when he walked past carrying Serena. She spared them a look from her very thick book. After relinquishing his load on her bed, he realized how much strain he had been pulling on his stitches, carrying her about. He must have shown it on his face when he came out of her room, given the look on Rei's face.

"How's your shoulder?"

He laughed, "Never better."

She gave him a look, "You should go home, shower and rest. You are looking a bit worse for wear there Darien."

"I'm fine."

"We need better than fine against Abel. You said it yourself, he doesn't know where Serena is. That and my barrier spell, she will be safe here till you are 100%. You need to have your Uncle take a look at that shoulder. And, seriously take a shower cause you stink!"

"So you're kicking me out?"

She thought about it for a second, putting a finger on her chin, "Yes. You can go home and come back for all I care, just go home and take care of yourself first."

He had gotten the hint and made his way to the door.

"Hey Darien?" He stopped, turning to find a tentative Rei smiling gently at him. "Thank you...for coming back. She...we needed you."

With a nod, he left.

vVv

A dirt path, winded away towards a small town just a few steps away. But for some reason, it just wasn't close enough. She wasn't sure why, she just knew deep inside that she was scared and she was running. Running towards the town she knew she was not going to make it to.

Claws dug into the flesh of her shoulders, lifting her up off the ground. She kicked her legs in vain but it was a human response. Her hands scratched and clawed at the talons that held her, even knowing that if she were to get free, at this height it would be her death.

The path and village expeditiously shrunk away to a few dots of light in the distance. The Moon was so full and close, she felt that she could reach out and touch it.

Then the creature descended at breakneck speed down to, the likes of which, made her heart beat faster with absolute terror. A huge structure, on top of a hill, settled in darkness. Although she did not know who it belonged to or where it existed, she knew that she was terrified of its very existence. It had tall barristers that all came to dangerous sharp points. Stained glass colored the walls in dark reds and purples. The whole building reeked of darkness and death.

It glided into the large castle through an open window, the one the creature left through night after night. It slowed, only enough to throw her down to the ground again. Hard cold marble smacked her knees and face. Everything was throbbing, but that was the least of her worries.

The room was dark, only a few candles lit magically as she made her way to her trembling feet. But even in the darkness, she could make out enough the room to know that she now stood in a bedroom.

Reappearing behind her, she was thrown roughly on the bed. Moving rapidly, she didn't even get a breath in to scream as the creature climbed on top of her. It held her tight, only releasing her long enough to slice her clothes off. Now trembling, naked on the bed, red eyes stared into hers.

She was frozen. She couldn't even breathe. It sneered, its white fangs glowing in the night, as its hungry eyes searched her body. All she could do was shiver from the chill of the cold castle touched her entire body.

It leaned in close, nothing but red eyes, white fangs, and blackness, "I told you, you are mine Serenity."

Finally, a scream erupted from her throat, as the creature sank its teeth into it.

She was shaking. Or rather someone was shaking her. She had to get the creature off, had to get away.

"Serena! Wake up!"

Knocking Ami off as she did, she sprang up from the bed, still screaming. Ami looked throughly freaked while Serena felt it. She grabbed her neck, checking it for puncture marks and blood. Then looking herself over to find she was still dressed. In her dream she had worn a blouse and long skirt like you would see on reruns of "Little House on the Prairie". But now she was back in her skirt and tank top.

"Serena are you okay?"

She looked at Ami who had pulled herself up from the floor and was standing over her as she sat on her bed. "Yeah...yeah...it was just a dream."

"That was one hell of a dream."

She was little thrown, hearing Ami curse. But they had all been through a lot. They had all changed. "Yeah it was."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was….it was just so real. I could feel everything like I was really there."

Ami sat down next to her on the bed. "Interesting. Maybe it's not a dream then."

"What else could it be?"

"Maybe it's a memory. Sometimes, we will block things that are too painful for us to handle. It's a coping mechanism. But eventually, it catches up to us, usually in dreams."

"So you think I'm remembering things that actually happened to me?"

"It's possible."

She shook her head, "Uh, no it's not. In these dreams, I'm in places I have never been to and time periods long before I was born."

Ami shrugged, ending the conversation. She stood and left her room without another word. But she had already said a mouthful. This dream had been longer and far more terrifying than the first one she had. She could still smell the sheets on the bed and feel his tongue on her skin.

It was Abel. That she was sure of. But that was all she knew. Whether they were memories or not it made her skin crawl. The feeling of his touch on her skin was still fresh. Her stomach turned, lurching in betrayal, and she ran to the bathroom.

vVv

He had to be careful not to get his stitches wet but Uncle had taught him a trick with plastic wrap and body tape. The hot water felt good on the rest of his body, even after the additional resting, he still felt stiff all over which was strange for him.

He was also weary of how long it was taking his wound to heal. It was a deep cut, yes, but his accelerated healing gifts should have taken more of the string out of it by now.

Even with his sore shoulder, he felt like a new man with fresh clothes on. Glad to be out of Andrew's clothes. The tank top had been the only thing that came close to fitting, his shoulders were broader than Andrew's now.

He found Uncle in his study, or rather his Library, reviewing over text after text. Probably looking for any references to Abel.

Michael sat back from his current book when he entered and sat next to him, rubbing his tired eyes. "Abel is truly an illusive beast. I can find the occasional reference of him here and there but nothing concrete. The guy was involved with almost every Vampire we have ever heard of."

"He attacked us, last night. He used Pontianaks to lure us out. Have you ever heard of other demons helping one another?"

Uncle shook his head. "No, but that only confirms my suspicions. He is ancient."

He lifted his shirt, wincing as he did. "Bastard got me."

Uncle rose swiftly, examining his sliced shoulder. "Abel is not like the other demons you have faced Darien. He is strong, stronger than you or me. Your body is reacting to that. The threat of such an old creature, your Helsing blood is not strong enough to heal you like you are used to."

Darien shook his head. "The guy attacked an entire 20 floor apartment building, killing most of the residences, just to get to Serena. It doesn't matter how old he is or how powerful, he has to be put down."

"Maybe we should give him Serena. It could give us an advantage, he would be distracted and it would lead us to his lair."

He stood rapidly from his seat, face to face with his Uncle. "Are you crazy? We can't give him Serena!"

Uncle sighed, "I know you're fond of the girl Darien, but you really need to ask yourself whether she is worth it…"

Before he even really knew what was happening, his fist made contact with his Uncle's jaw, sending him backwards a few steps.

Uncle righted himself, holding his jaw and laughing. "Alright, I get it. I just wanted to see if your feelings had changed."

"What the hell Uncle. You're still testing me?!"

"That girl has had you wrapped around her finger since you were too little to even understand the implications. I think I would be surprised if you didn't still love her."

"Let's just focus on the mission, shall we?"

"Yes, and that is what you need to be doing as well. This is just another mission Darien. Treat it as such and you won't be needing any more stitches. You let that girl distract you and Abel will not hesitate to slit your throat. Right after he slits Serena's"

vVv

Serena emerged from the bathroom, white as a sheet.

"Are you okay?"

Serena looked at her, eyes blurry from tears. "I think so."

Ami sat with her at the table. She had just finished telling her about Serena and her dream. Rei had heard Serena screaming from her room but Serena was heading to the bathroom by the time she got to her. It was lucky Ami had returned from her mother's or who knows how long Serena would have been trapped in that nightmare.

"Why don't you come sit with us?" Ami asked.

Serena silently obliged sitting down with a hard thump. Her eyes glued to the table before her as if it would soon tell her the answers she sought. She looked over at Ami to see the same concerned eyes she knew she had as well.

Rei put a hand on Serena's, readying her for the question. "Did you dream about Abel?"

She laughed, "If you can call that a dream."

"I was just telling Serena that it could be a repressed memory."

They both looked at Ami but Serena was shaking her head. "But that doesn't make sense. Sure they felt real enough, but it would be impossible for me to have lived those moments."

They grew silent for a moment, but then she had an idea. "If they are memories, maybe we can use the same ritual we did to return Ami's and Mina's memories?"

Ami stiffened with discomfort. "I don't think that's a good idea. If they are repressed memories, flooding Serena's mind with them could put her in shock or a coma."

Serena stood so promptly, she almost knocked her chair over. "Abel is not going to stop until he has killed me and probably all of you as well. I need to figure out these dreams. They could be the key we need to ending Abel before he can hurt any of us. It is worth the risk if I can keep all of you safe."

Rei looked over to see Ami was still hesitant. "Ami, we need you on this. We need as many people as possible to make it work. Are you in?"

vVv

She didn't like this. Having her memories returned to her had been rough, she wouldn't want anyone to have to experience it. And here she was helping her friends do it to Serena now.

Mina had returned a few hours after her. She had traveled all the way to America to see her parents. She looked over at Ami, tired and worried. Mina wanted to do this just as much as she did.

Rei tried to reassure them. "Hey worst case scenario, nothing happens. It is completely safe."

Mina huffed, putting her hands on her hips, "Pretty sure you said the same thing to me and then I got possessed by a mad Vampire and kissed Serena."

"And was that so bad?!"

Andrew, Lita, Mina, and herself created the circle around Serena as she layed in the middle of the living room. Everything was set just like when they had been the ones getting there memories back.

Rei took one last look around the room and then looked back at Serena. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for Darien?"

"No. He would probably try to stop us anyways. We don't need him."

She noticed the glare that Andrew gave to Serena but he didn't say anything. It was a strange little moment between the two of them that left her curious as to what they were arguing about. Must have had something to do with Darien.

Rei began her chant, and the rest of them stood silent, focusing on Serena.

Minutes passed, nothing happened. She wasn't even sure if Serena was awake, she was so still. Rei on the other hand was focusing so hard she had started to sweat on her brow.

With the last of her energy, Rei pushed as hard as she could, but nothing happened. Serena laid unmoving while Rei dropped to her knees next to her.

Rei put a hand on Serena's shoulder, attempting to wake her. "I'm sorry Serena but it's not going to work."

Everyone released their breath, relaxing their bodies once more. But Serena still didn't move. Rei began to gently shake her, using the hand she still had on Serena' shoulder.

Out of nowhere, Serena started screaming. It was as if boiling hot water had been poured all over her body as she writhed out of control, in pain.

They all dropped to her side, trying to hold her still and wake her. "She must have fallen into another bad dream." Ami managed to yell over Serena.

Rei shook harder, no longer afraid of hurting Serena. A banging came from the front door and she turned just in time to see Darien break through the door. He rushed over to them, standing over the scene, watching Serena in complete agony.

Fear and anger mixed together on his face. "What the hell did you do?!"

Rei stuttered with fear, "She...she….she was having dreams….memories about Abel. So we did the ritual to return her memories."

Darien joined them on the floor next to Serena. "Abel is sending her memories of his past and you decide to open up the floodgates for him? You just gave him full access to her mind!"

Serena stopped, no more screaming, no more thrashing. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, except for Darien. He watched her as if he knew what was going to happen next.

Still unconscious, Serena's body lifted off the ground. It pushed all of them back and they watched in horror as she continued to rise a good three feet off the ground. It was as if gravity had stopped working on her, her floating up like a balloon.

Darien was the first to get his wits about him, standing so that he was hovering over her face. "Serena?"

At the sound of her name her eyes snapped open. She landed on the floor, back on her feet and full of grace, looking around the room at all the eyes that were on her. When her eyes made it to her, Ami had to bite back a scream. Gone were the beautiful light blue eyes of Serena. Now they were red. Blood red. Serena was a Vampire.

* * *

I know, I know. But I promise to post Ch 8 real soon alright?!


	8. Chapter 8

I told you guys I wouldn't take long to update. To be honest, this is really this quick cause I don't want SailorMoon489 coming and killing me. So you guys can thank her for the quick update lol. You can also thank Beej88 for bae-taeing this bad boy so I could post them back to back. Thank you to those who read and review/fave/follow! Alright, enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

" _When you're in hell, only a devil can point the way out."_

― _**Joe Abercrombie**_ _,_ _ **Half a King**_

This wasn't real! It wasn't possible! Serena had been fine. She hadn't even been touched by a Vampire, let alone gone through the ceremony to change her. She couldn't be one now!

But there she stood, eyes as red as blood instead of the gentle blue they usually were and her fangs sticking out as she grinned at all of them. It made her shiver with fear, helpless against her dear friend.

She couldn't move, her fight or flight was broken as she couldn't fight Serena and she couldn't leave her or the others there either. Serena's eyes circled the room, ending on Darien who stood right beside her. Within a breath, she knocked Darien across the room as if he where a doll. Andrew leapt from her side and wrapped his arms around Serena in an attempt to keep her from touching any of them. Serena let him, no way he could actually contain her even if she wasn't a Vampire, Serena was stronger than all of them before she had….turned.

Rei was flipping through her book, looking for something she could use, muttering as she went. Mina and Ami stood crying, the sight of Serena in such a state was too much for them.

Andrew soon went flying past her and Serena let out a wicked laugh that made her blood run cold. "Dumbass. What were you trying to do? Give me a hug?" Her voice was light, sarcasm dripping from her every word.

In a blink she was standing in front of her, staring her down with cold red eyes. "Hello Lita. Maybe I should turn you this time. I'm sure you don't want to be someone's personal snack bar again."

The memory of the dungeon she'd escaped -thanks to Serena- ran through her mind, bringing fresh tears to her eyes. Serena's mouth opened wide, showing her fangs. Frozen, she did the only thing she could do, she closed her eyes.

There was a loud pop, and when she opened her eyes again, Serena was on the other side of the apartment on the floor. She struggled for a minute to get up as Darien crossed in front of Lita towards her.

Serena let out another bone chilling laugh, devoid of any real emotion. "Oh Van Helsing, you can do better than that."

Darien stood his ground, not taking the bait. "Serena, this isn't you. You don't want to kill anyone."

She made a pouty face, "But, of course I do."

Another shiver ran through her, the woman that now stood at the other end of their apartment reminding her nothing of the girl she was supposed to be. Every bit of Serena was gone, swallowed whole by the Vampire that was now trying to kill them all. Looking back and Darien, she saw the sorrow that raced across his face. It was only a second, his fight face returning quickly, but it was still in his eyes. She knew, he was going to kill her if he had to, and she could not get herself to believe it. That Darien would ever harm Serena was unfathomable. But so was Serena as a Vampire.

Mina had regained her senses, and pleaded to Serena. "Please, this isn't you. Abel has possessed you or something. Serena, we love you!"

Something flickered on Serena's face, like she'd lost herself for a moment, becoming confused as to what she was doing. But it was fleeting as she moved faster than she could see, placing herself in front of Mina now.

"You of all people should talk. You tried to kill me!"

Mina broke down in sobs, Amy grabbing her and holding her up as Serena sneered at the two of them. She felt no pity for the pain she was causing the two of them. Darien grabbed Serena from behind around the neck, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her away from the prone humans. Serena didn't fight him very hard, letting him pull her away with a grin on her face.

Andrew had pulled himself back up and stood beside her, ready to defend her now. "Serena, snap out of it. Don't let that bastard win. We're your family. He wants you to kill those you love the most!"

Even she could hear the desperation in his voice. He knew as well, the danger they were all in but how Serena was in the most danger, Darien prepared to put her down if he had to.

Her face flickered again, just as it did before, some emotion leaking through at Andrew's pleas. She looked over at Ami hoping for the smartest one in the room to have come up with something. Ami had seen it too, the look on Serena's face, and she looked as if she was crunching the numbers in her head.

Movment caught her attention. All of it so fast by the time she turned back around to Serena she had flipping herself over and now pinned Darien under her, straddling him as she held him down on the floor.

Serena's eyes were glaring at Darien as she ran her claws down his chest, threatening to slice. "With family like this one, who needs enemies. Tell me Darien, do you regret not sleeping with me first? Tricking me into giving you my virginity with my heart would have been a much better story at parties, right?"

Darien shoved her off hard, sending her flying into the glass door to the balcony. Glass flew out and around Serena from the force of it, but she just bounced off the door and kept coming. Darien barely got to his feet in time, knocking her back a few steps with a hard punch to the face. He had taken the kid gloves off, it was only a matter of time now before he killed her, Lita was sure of it.

She held her jaw, glaring at him. "I knew it wouldn't be long before you treated me just like any other Vampire."

Serena's claws went for Darien's chest but he caught them, holding her as still as he could. "You are not just another Vampire. You're Serena. You're a mortal, not a demon!" he pleaded with her to snap out it.

She ripped herself from his grip, sneering at him. "You know as well as I do that I am not human. Vampire blood runs through my veins. Or...didn't dear Uncle Michael Van Helsing tell you?"

Darien looked confused and Serena used it to her advantage. She appeared in front of Andrew, picking him up by the throat and lifting him off the ground. She hit her shoulders and arms over and over trying to get him free but Serena only budged to backhand hard. Propelling her into Ami and Mina. The three of them hit the ground hard.

Andrew kicked, no oxygen left in his lungs to do much else while Serena sneered. "And you. **You** judge me, telling me what **you** think I need to hear. You don't know how it feels to be tossed aside by the only man you have ever loved. You don't know how badly the heart aches to feel unwanted by the one you love the most. So don't you **dare** talk to me about second, third, or ANY other chances."

Serena growled at Andrew and she watched helpless as the light started to drain from his eyes. Then Serena dropped him to the floor, howling in pain. Darien stood behind her, his hand releasing the stake that still stuck out of the back of her shoulder She crawled over to him, his breath was shallow but his heart was beating.

Ami got up off the floor and screamed. "Darien! She's not a Vampire, not a full one."

Serena pulled the stake from her shoulder, a sick, slick sound coming from it as her flesh stuck to the wood. It took her only a second, but she was still down for a while longer. Fumbling on her knees for a moment longer.

Darien hoovered over the two of them and looked back at Ami. "I KNOW that, so what am I supposed to do?"

"Vampires have no empathy, no feelings. She has been reacting to our words of love because the human in her is feeling love. It's confusing the Vampire. Darien, you have to make her feel something. Something besides pain or hate!"

Darien didn't need to hear anything more. Serena was still recovering from the staking, crouched down on the floor. Darien grabbed her, pulling her up to her feet and holding her still by her shoulders. He didn't say a word to her or anyone, just kissed her.

vVv

Darkness. She was surrounded by it, it shimmered with the lack of light as if she was surrounded by black marble, the white cloth she was somehow shrouded in reflecting on the walls. Below her was an endless pool of what looked like thick, black, oil. She floated above it, suspended by what she didn't know, over the pool. Pain rippled across her body. Serena fell deeper into the darkness. Whatever held her up was slipping, her toes nearing the liquid. Touching, cold ripped through her, making her feel as if her blood had stopped pumping completely. Everything stopped, her heart, her lungs, her mind. The liquid stretched upwards like a hand, gripping her ankle and pulling her hard. She was up to her knees now, the oil swallowing her whole. It was like death, but worse.

Then it all stopped. The pain was still there but she stopped sinking and the cold was beginning to fade away. Warmth began to swallow her up, starting in her fingers and spreading up her arms till she was fully enveloped. She felt herself begin to rise, lifting upwards as if being pulled by a string. A string that was tied to her chest, somewhere beneath her ribs.

Light faded away the darkness and she realised it was her eyes opening to the light. Darien was the first thing she saw, inches away from her face. His face melting into relief as he looked into her eyes. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and her lips tingled, his arms around her waist. Confused, she pushed him back gently, releasing one another from their hold and looked around the room.

Everyone was still there but they looked like they had just been in a fight. Their hair and clothes were askew and their faces morose. Even Darien looked a bit rough, stress rolling off his shoulders and back as he relaxed more. With seeing him in action with the Pontianaks and with Abel, it was strange to see him looking so rattled, not ever seeming so affected by the other fights.

Glass crunched under her feet, the source of the shattered fragments still unknown to her, but even as she looked around she couldn't figure out what had happened.

"What's going on guys? Did it work?"

Tears fell down Lita and Mina's faces but they still had a sad smile. Rei and Ami let out a sigh of relief, while Darien continued to stare at her eyes.

Then the pain kicked in. Her shoulder ached like it had when that stupid blade of purity had been pushed through it. Darien was quick to catch her, but not to stop her fingers from touching the huge hole in the back of her right shoulder.

"What the hell?!"

Darien grabbed her hands away from the wound. "I'm sorry but I had to do it. You almost killed Andrew."

She pulled her hands away. "Almost killed Andrew? Are you crazy?"

Rei tried to calm her with her touch. "No but you were. Serena the spell didn't work. It turned you."

"Turned me into what?"

Darien ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "A Vampire Serena," then he turned on Rei, "Why in the hell did you guys do that spell?"

He looked at Rei for answers, but it had been her choice so she defended her friend. "I wanted to do it. I wanted to know why he has such a hard on for me."

Darien threw his hands up in the air and walked away, pissed. She felt tired, hurt, sad, and confused. Like she was coming off a bad trip, which in a way she was. She had turned into a full fledged Vampire. How having her memories back translated into that, she didn't know. Maybe if it had worked and she got her memories, she would know.

Rei touched a finger to her wound causing her to cringe. "Serena, shouldn't this be healing by now?"

She glared over at Darien, who was sulking in a corner not far from her. "Well since Darien stabbed me with a stake, it's going to take longer. Like when I was healing from the blade the Countess used on me."

"You mean that I used on you."

She whipped her head around, a painful mistake, to Mina looking like a bag of self-loathing. "What? No, that wasn't you!"

But Mina wasn't listening for some reason, shaking her head as tears still fell freely down her face. She trudged up the stairs to the loft out of sight. Ami gave her a weak smile before following Mina up there, looking just as upset as the blonde she followed. She looked at Rei but she just shook her head as to say 'Don't go there'.

Andrew began to rally, sitting up holding his head, "Andrew are you okay?" She took a step towards him, Lita holding him steady as he sat.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just lucky the real you doesn't hate me enough to actually kill me."

Her mind reeled, confusion abounding her. "What is wrong with you guys tonight? I don't hate you Andrew."

Lita helped him stand, taking him towards the bedroom. "I know you don't. But you have every right to."

He gave her a sad smile, like the one Amy had just given her, only making her head spin. What the hell had she done while 'under the influence'? It was like she had been that drunk chick who let her mouth run off at a party and remembered nothing when she woke up. She had never gotten that drunk but she could already tell she was glad for that. The two of them disappeared leaving the three of them to stand awkwardly about. Rei made a hasty retreat to her book, picking it up off the floor from its forgotten resting place.

"I'm going to….see if I can figure out what went wrong…..in my room."

There was a strange heat flowing between her and Darien. A strange pulling on her heart that she had gotten rid of years ago was suddenly back. It almost replaced the pain in her shoulder in her mind. Another confusing piece of the puzzle that she now had to put back together. But it was like she was doing it in the dark with half the pieces missing. She needed some air, reality crashing down on her hard.

She walked past him and through the now empty door frame, its glass now splayed across the floor. _Guess that's where all the glass came from. The super is going to have kittens when he sees this mess._

The crunching of glass told her that Darien was following her out. He placed a gentle hand over the wound on her shoulder, so soft it didn't even hurt. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I shouldn't have used Vampire weapons."

She shrugged as much as she could stand. "I was probably going to kill all of you. I would hope that you wouldn't hesitate to put me down."

"Serena.." she turned to find his eyes stormy, looking at her face, "how long have you know you were part Vampire?"

She turned away from him, unable to stand his gaze any longer. "Four years."

"Four years?! How did you figure it out?"

"Actually it was your Aunt. She was the one who told me."

vVv

Four years ago…..

Sweat rolled down her neck and to her back. Master was running her ragged today, but that was nothing new.

"Come on Serena you can do better than this!"

They had been going at it for over an hour. Master had her run circuits all while she threw bags of sand and shot arrows at her. To make matters worse, Master had strapped 20 lbs weights to all her extremities. All of this would have been business as usual if Serena wasn't having a klutzy day. She was having a particularly hard time sticking any of her landings and she wasn't fast enough to get past the sand bags before the knocked off kilter or into a wall.

Master looked as if she might have a coronary any minute now.

"Did you ever stop to think, Master, that maybe I'm not better? That this is as good as it gets?"

"Never crossed my mind, now **let's go again**!"

She took off, going as fast as her legs would let her. Dodging an arrow to her left, jumping over a pommel horse, crawling under the low beams, dodging another arrow on her right, then getting smacked down by a sand bag.

She cursed and then laid out on the cold floor, refusing to do any more. Master's face appears over her, causing her to groan and whine. But instead of yelling at her like she would normally do, she smiled and offered her a hand.

"Serena, have you ever wondered why I offered to train you?"

She sat, Master standing before her and sinking down to a crouch to face her. "I thought it was out of pity. To give me something to do."

"Serena, you are different, this is nothing new to you."

"Yes I know, I'm a weird little kid…"

"No, no Serena you're not. You are not _weird_ different, you are _special_ different. The likes of you have **never** existed before, not that we know of anyways."

Her heart started to race, more than when she was running moments ago. "What are you talking about?"

"Serena, I know you can do better not because you are my student and I won't let you give up. I know you can do better because you have the ability to do greatness in your blood."

"What you mean like a Hunter?" She would be lying if she said, hope didn't flood her veins, the thought of being anything close to what Darien was, close to him...

"Yes, but better. The Hunter gene doesn't pass father to daughter, it only goes to male hires. So even though we are stronger than a regular woman, we are nowhere near the strength a Hunter male possesses. You however are something else, something rare. Serena you can heal yourself so quickly because your blood has the Vampire ability to do so running through it."

"Vampire..ability…..in my blood?!"

Master smiled brightly at her, "Yes Serena. You are part Vampire. I don't know how much but it's enough to give you the ability to fight and win against anything you set your mind to."

"If I have Vampire blood in my veins, then why am I not a Vampire?"

Master pointed a finger into her chest, "Your heart. It is pure and strong and filled with love for humanity. It is what makes you so strong, you can overcome the Vampire half of yourself."

"Does that mean I could become a Vampire?"

"Well we all can if in the right circumstances…"

She frowned, "You know what I mean."

Master stood, not looking her in the eye as she spoke. "I suppose you could, but like I said you are one of a kind. We may never know."

vVv

"I guess we know now Master."

She glanced back at him, turning away from the city skyline before them. Darien was sitting down on the fire escape steps, listening to her story. His eyes pierced hers, lacking any fear or judgement of her, while she felt nothing but self-loathing for herself and what she was. Pulling her eyes from his, needing to look anywhere but straight into his overwhelmingly beautiful face, she allowed herself to drink him in. He'd cleaned himself up since she'd last seen him, looking a lot better than he had a few hours ago. He'd changed into a pair of light, tight jeans and a tight, white t-shirt. It was the first time she'd seen him in anything but dark colors since he'd returned. His skin contrasted nicely with the light color of his shirt and it showed off his very nicely muscled body. It was then that she noticed the small line of blood on his white shirt.

"Damnit Darien, did you pop your stitches again?"

She paced over to him, pulling his shirt aside to check on his stitches. He didn't even flinch at her touch, letting her pull the collar of his shirt down harshly. Because if she did it any other way, she wasn't sure what her body would do. It felt as if she was a loaded gun and the longer she spent close to Darien, the closer she came from going off.

She gently pulled his bandage back, eyeing his wound in the bright moon light. But there was no sign of stretching, pulling, or popping of his stitches. In fact, it looked more like she needed to remove them for him, the wound looked close to a week old.

"It's not my blood." he said with a wry smile.

Confusion abounded her again, even though it really shouldn't have. "Your wound!"

"Yeah I should thank you, the adrenaline from our little fight sped up the healing."

"Oh." She felt silly, of course his Hunter blood took care of it for him.

With him no longer in danger, she realized how close she had gotten to him. She was standing in between his legs as he sat on the steps. His hands sat on her hips, lightly pressing against her. Her trigger twitched and she felt the need to get closer and far away at the same time. Opting for getting away, she immediately corrected herself, putting some distance between them.

But he got up and followed her, cornering her between the railing and his arms. "Serena, you have to forgive me."

She pushed against him but he didn't let up. "I don't have to do anything."

"This time, you do."

"Why? So you can sleep at night? Your guilt is your own Darien, I won't take it away from you just because you tell me to."

He leaned in, her small amount of space from him evaporating in a second. "This isn't about me, it's about you."

"What is it with you and Andrew, trying to tell me how to feel or act?!" Her heart twisted in her chest, almost painfully.

His breath hit her face as he spoke and her pulse picked up. "Because we care about you. And if you asked any of the girls, they would say the same thing. You have to forgive me."

"You don't deserve my forgiveness." This time she pushed him and he let her go.

Just as she was about to walk past him and make it to freedom or at least safety, he reached around her, holding her still with an arm around her waist. He towered over her, placing his nose in her hair, his mouth right at her ear. It sent shivers down her spine as he spoke, his warm breath now flowing over her neck and shoulder.

"I thought about you every day for the past five years."

She was frozen, unable to pull away, finding it hard to breathe. "Well I didn't think of you. If you thought so much of me, why didn't I hear from you?"

He turned, wrapping his other arm around her waist but keeping his mouth next to her ear. "I knew that if I so much as heard your voice, I would have ran, walked, crawled, anything to get back to you."

She felt like the oxygen in the room was sucked out, her breathing swallow and almost pointless. "Then why didn't you come back sooner?"

He rested his head against hers, his mouth still at her ear. "My life is a dangerous one, and anyone involved in it will be in as much if not more danger. I didn't want you to live that kind of life."

She turned slowly in his arms, her forehead resting against his, him stooping ever so slightly to allow it. "It's my life, you should have let me choose how it would be lived."

He shook his head, "I still needed to complete my training, so I could protect those I love. To protect you."

Her hands found their way to his chest, grabbing on tightly to the fabric of his shirt, her trigger dangerously close to pulling tight. "So I'm just a hindrance to you?"

"No. You are my weakness. And I am yours. If you don't forgive me, you are going to continue to be vulnerable to your Vampire side. It will take control of you again."

Her heart raced, the string between them pulling so tight, she feared it would soon snap, causing them to bleed inwardly. "What does forgiving you have to do with that?"

"Because you love me…."

"I don't love you…"

"...and you are killing yourself trying to fight it."

She had had enough, she pulled away not caring how much the it hurt her pulling against the string. The crystal shell around her heart would protect her. Her heart pounded, pain radiating from it and she took a large breath to combate it and fuel her movements away from him.

He grabbed her again, wrapping one arm around her waist again and gripping her chin with the other free hand, forcing her to look him in the face as he spoke. "Forgive me Serena."

"I can't," she felt the hot tears as they ran down her face. She desperately needed to get away from him.

"You can, you just won't."

"Okay then I won't."

Maybe it was childish or ignorance, but she saw it as self-preservation, her determination not to forgive him. To never let him again so he couldn't hurt her when he left again. That was the whole point of the shell around her heart, the one she spent years building. It took so much to get it contained, to keep it safe so if anything, she would never give into her Vampire side. And now, that Darien had returned, it had happened, she had turned. It was too big of a coincidence, she had made it all her life without it happening, only when Darien returned did her Vampire take hold of her.

She could feel it now, the shell she had worked so hard to build, cracking. It splintered, the crystal cutting into different shapes as it tried to break away from her heart completely. Trying to hold onto it, she struggled to get away from him. To preserve her protection and snap the cord. The glass crunched under their feet as she escaped back into the apartment and he followed. If she didn't get away from him soon, her shell would be just like the glass, in shards on the ground.

He grabbed her hand, spinning her around to face him. She stilled herself, bracing for more of his words, breaking her resolve. But they never came.

Instead he grabbed her by the face brushing his lips against hers. Her crystal began to pop. He pulled her in deep, his mouth claiming hers completely. Her mind told her to fight, to get away again. But her heart.

Then it happened. She felt as her shield shattered and fell away. Her heart beating wildly, free at last.

Her arms enclosed around his neck, pressing her body against his. Darien's hands left her face, sliding down her back until one rested just below her shoulder blade and the other at the small of her back. Making any last hope of escape impossible.

The embrace was full of longing, a desire to make up for lost time. They revealed in the sensation of being together, touching and holding each other again finally. A heat began to grow, low in her stomach. Almost like a tickling that made her feel giddy and strange. She dug her hands into his hair, trying to get a hold of herself.

His tongue licked her lips, asking for entry. She parted her lips ever so slightly, allowing his tongue to dance with hers. It had an overwhelming effect on her senses, causing her knees to go weak and buckle.

Her weak knees turned into her salvation, allowing her to pull away long enough to get her wits about her. He tried to pull her back in but she put her hand on his chest and pushed with what little strength she had left.

She put her other hand on her swollen lips and watched him, weary of his next move. He stood still, watching her as if he was waiting to see if his plan had worked.

Serena refused to give him the satisfaction. She refused to let him win even if all she wanted to do was throw herself back into his arms. She just wasn't ready to let it all go, to forgive. Maybe she was a coward, maybe she was acting like a child, but she didn't care she couldn't let herself go to his arms again.

She walked away, into her room and shut the door. This time he didn't follow.

vVv

Darien was asleep on the couch when she got up. She was pretty sure that meant Serena still hadn't forgiven him. No matter how much of a gentleman Darien was or wasn't, she was certain he would have slept in the bed with her if she had.

That meant that Serena was still being a stubborn child. She had half a mind to go into her room and give her a mouth full. But she knew that, if anything, that would only make things worse.

She started the coffee and Andrew made his way into the kitchen soon after. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her nose and then snuggling into her neck. He must have noticed Darien on the couch then because he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Is that still…..unresolved?" he said, throwing a thumb over in the direction of Darien's sleeping form.

"Looks like it."

"Man, I remember when it was Darien being the stubborn one. For years I had to watch him pine for that girl.

"Then I guess he should have done a better job of holding onto her."

"Not you too Lita. The guy had to go, he had no choice!"

"You are such a man. Why don't you try and think about it from Serena's perspective? She was 16, back in the arms of the only man she has ever loved, and he tells her he has to go and no she can't go with him, just forget about what we mean to one another."

"I get it, I do. But it would be one thing if she didn't still love him. She is just torturing him and herself."

"Well maybe he deserves it."

"Lita."

"She's right." They both turned to see Darien sitting up on the couch, rubbing his neck, "I do deserve it." She turned, giving Andrew her best 'I win you lose' face, "But she doesn't."

Her smile faded and Andrew's grew. But all was suddenly interrupted by the screams coming from Serena's room.

The three of them ran in, Darien getting there first. Serena sat up in her bed, her face in her hands as she shook with her tears.

Darien grabbed her, pulling her into his embrace and she let him, not fighting him as she fell hard on his chest.

She sat down next to them and stroked Serena's back. By the time she had calmed down a bit, her room was a full house as Mina, Ami, and Rei rushed in as well.

Serena lifted her face off of Darien's chest and looked around the room till her eyes fell on Rei.

She gave her a weak smile. "It worked Rei. I got those memories back."

vVv

It was dark, too dark for her liking. But she was waiting for someone. Someone she couldn't live without. Footsteps rang out in the darkness, stealing away the once silent night. She looked towards the source, waiting for Darien to appear and sweep her away.

But once the darkness swept away and light returned, she was left standing before Abel.


	9. Chapter 9

Good news, nice long chapter for you guys. Bad news, you are not going to like where it ends! #sorrynotsorry!

Thanks to my Bae-tae Beej88 for making sure this was good to go last night! And thanks to all of you who have read, reviewed, and faved/followed!

In case you missed it, Hot and Heavy Chronicles just posted a new Christmas themed chapter written by yours truly! you can find it, and other awesome tidbits, on Ninjette Twitch's page!

Please find and follow me on Tumblr! Looking forward to sharing more with you there!

Also...I did a thing...raise your hand if you have Spotify and like to listen to music as you read/write? (raises hand) So I made a few playlists to go with my fics. The one for this fic is titled Blood Countess 2. I have a feeling it is the only one but mine is by Ally Austin Achibane...aka me! Take a listen! They are songs that inspired me while writing and, even if you don't like them, I stand by my choices! Alright enjoy lovelies, look forward to hearing from you!

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

" _Are you a devil?"_

 _"I am a man," answered Father Brown gravely; "and therefore have all devils in my heart."_

― _**G.K. Chesterton**_

Confused, she stood frozen in place. The world shifted around them, changing until she was back in the square that she'd been in several nights ago. The girl ran past her. She looked just like her; skin, hair, and eye color, body shape, even the slight crook of her nose. Her clothes told her she was from another time though, a time long ago.

Even though she knew what came next, she still felt a cold sweat as she watched the creature appear and jump on the woman before her. But this time, the dream didn't end. She watched, unnoticed by all those around her as the story continued to play out before her.

It held the woman on the ground, staring into her eyes. The woman waited for the creature to kill her, but it didn't. Instead, it planted its mouth on hers. A muffled scream came from the woman as she fought to free herself from the beast. He released her mouth, but not her body, holding her to the ground with his whole weight upon her.

He growled, "You will be mine, soon."

And with that, he left as a group of men showed up and surrounded her. She sobbed, curled up on the ground as one of the men crouched down next to her.

"Are you alright?"

His eyes were piercing, a deep blue. They seemed to know one another as she threw herself into his arms and he held her tight. "I'm sorry, I thought we could get him. I promise we will never use you as bait again."

The woman pushed back to look at the man. "No, we have to stop him. He won't stop until you kill him. We have to do whatever it takes!"

He pulled her into his arms, pressing her tightly against his chest, and rocked her as she sobbed.

A few months passed, and the creature had yet to show himself since the night he'd kissed her. The tension in the village had relaxed, but something told her it was not over yet. There was a knock on her door. Her father stood and answered it, revealing the man who'd held her in the square.

He was fidgeting, nervous as he entered their small home. Her heart began to race at the sight of him. He was truly a beautiful man inside and out. His dark hair fell over his eyes, hiding them from her, but she knew them down to the last detail. Dreaming of him every night since she'd met him. He'd been the one to save her from the beast the first time it had attacked her. She'd been in love with him ever since.

He left with her father, heading to their small dining room just out of earshot. Close to an hour later, they emerged, shaking hands and parting ways. He glanced her way, catching her watching him. Her breath caught in her throat as he smiled at her, her heart racing at the sight. Once he was gone, her father pulled her into the dining room that the two of them had just occupied.

"The Van Helsing boy just asked for your hand in marriage."

Her heart picked up its pace yet again, "He did?"

"Yes. Is that something you want Serenity? His family is quite wealthy. You would have a comfortable life. But I don't want you to marry someone for that alone."

"I love him, father."

Shocked at her admission, her father sat down hard at the table. Taking a moment to steady himself. But when he looked back up at her, he smiled.

"He is a good man. And if you love him, then I see no reason not to give you both my blessing."

She squeezed his neck hard, kissed his cheek and then left for bed knowing full well she would not sleep.

Serenity was making her way back home from work. She worked for Mrs. Barister, as her companion, keeping her company, reading to her, going on walks with her. Normally, it was an easy job, but all day her mind was wandering back to Van Helsing. The man who made her heart race one moment then stop altogether the next.

She could see her town in the distance when she felt it. It was here. The monster was near, and it was coming for her. She couldn't explain how she knew, but she was sure of it. Running, she did her best to get away, even though she knew it was hopeless.

Soon she was flying, picked up into the air by the creature. It carried her back to his castle, the one that Van Helsing had told them all about. He and his family had been keeping tabs on the strange goings on at this castle. They didn't know what was going on for sure, but they knew the disappearances in town had something to do with it.

It dropped her on the floor hard, her knees bruising. She looked around, a chill running down her spine as she realized she was in a bedroom. Suddenly, she was hoisted up on the bed, the creature on top of her holding her down. Only releasing her long enough to run a claw down the front of her clothes, slicing them in two and falling helplessly on the bed beside her.

Tears streamed down her face as the creature took in her naked body, hungry. Its red eyes glared into hers.

"I told you, you're mine Serenity."

She felt the searing pain in her neck as it sunk its fangs deep into her flesh. The last thing her mind registered before her survival instincts kicked in and knocked her out was him entering her, stealing her virtue as well as her blood.

Months passed, and no one had come to look for her or rescue her. The castle was a labyrinth, no matter how far she seemed to go, he would always find her before she came close to escaping.

It was a game to him, letting her run only so that he could catch her, raping her, again and again, every time.

One night, when he'd finished, he lay next to her on her cage, his bed.

"I love you, Serenity."

She spat back at him with all the venom she had in her body. "This isn't love."

He placed a hand on her swollen belly, caressing what he was claiming as his. "But you are still mine."

The child inside her had gotten so large, it made it harder for her to attempt her escapes. But at least it kept him off of her until it was born. He'd underestimated her, and it would be her only chance.

It was barely dawn as he lay asleep beside her. She wasn't sure if creatures like him truly slept or not, but this would be her last chance to escape before the creature growing inside of her was born.

She crept away, having found a way out months ago, but with his little game, she was never able to actually get out. He would always stop her before she could get away. But tonight, he'd made a mistake. He thought, given her condition, she would not take the risk.

Black, red-eyed birds watched as she ran from the castle, squawking at her as she ran by. Strange to see birds at this hour, they must have belonged to him, a warning system. She did not have long. Using all her strength, she forced herself to go faster.

A loud roar came from the place she once was. He knew she was gone. Her heart pounded furiously matching the tempo of her feet. With one hand under her large belly, giving it support, the other pushed limbs out of the way as she fought her way to freedom.

She felt that any second, he would swoop down and take her back. The idea of returning to that castle, to continue to be his whore, was enough to make her keep pushing even though she was tired and in pain. It would not be long before her baby was here.

She'd tried to fight it, tried not to love the thing inside her. But as it grew, she came to know it better than anyone. It was not like him, wicked and evil. It was like her, pure and innocent, at least the way she used to be until the creature had come and corrupted her soul. She could not, would not let the same thing happen to her babe.

Finally, after hours of running in what felt like circles, she found the church. It was on the outskirts of town, the one she'd gone to all of her life. They would offer her protection and a safe place to bear her child.

The doors banged loudly as she used all of her weight to get them open. She stumbled in, her bare feet covered in dirt and scratches. She made it up to the dais before collapsing.

A nun, she knew her as Sister Gerta, found her there, holding her and trying to console her.

"Please….you have to help me…...it's the devil…..he is after me…...Please…."

She was surrounded by a few more nuns, ones she did not recognize. They yelled to another just out of her sight to get the Abbess. She was unsure how much time passed, her mind drifted in and out her pain growing and changing.

Soon the Abbess stood over her….with him.

Endymion Van Helsing stood next to her as she laid on the small bed. She turned away from him, ashamed to be seen like this by him. Tears were already glistening in her eyes but at the sight of him, the reminder of what her life was supposed to be, caused them to stream down her face.

He took a steady hand and led her face back to his, a sweet, beautiful smile on his face.

"I'm….so…...sorry, Endymion."

He hushed her, "Stop, this is not your fault."

"Please...don't let my father see me…..not like this…."

His face twisted, unsure if he should say what he needed to. "Serenity, your father….and your brothers….they're all dead."

Shock and pain exploded through her. "How?"

He shook his head, telling her he wasn't going to say, but she knew. The monster had killed them so she would never have anywhere else to go. When had it done it? Right after he'd taken her? So that the whole town would think she was dead as well?

Pain rippled through her again, threatening to tear her apart. It wouldn't be long now until she traded her life for the one inside her.

She grabbed onto Endymion. "Don't let him find her. He can't have her. You must promise to protect her, please."

He leaned in close to her. "I promise. He will never find her. I will protect her like I should have protected you."

He planted a chaste kiss on her lips and pulled away, tears in his eyes, full of sadness and regret. She cupped his cheek with her weak hand. "Don't be sad, my love. I'll be watching over you both. Giving you strength."

He held her hand, squeezing it as he spoke, tears falling down his face. "I promise, no one will ever suffer as you have again. I will not rest until all the demons of this world have been sent back to hell."

The pain was intense, threatening to end her before she was finished. She held onto Endymion for strength as the last of the pain ripped through her and out of her body. She could hear the screams of her baby, fresh into the world. She was handed to her, swaddled in a small cloth.

She was so tiny, so defenseless. She wanted more than anything to stay and protect her. But that would not be her role in her life. She was to give her life, and that was all.

The baby squirmed, screaming until she landed in her arms, growing silent instantly. She planted a small kiss on her tiny forehead, the darkness threatening as she held her child for the first and last time.

"I love you, Catherine Serenity."

She handed her over to Endymion who held her as if she was his, it made her heart warm one last time, for one last beat before the darkness descended and her heart beat no more.

vVv

The room was silent the entire time and when she finished re-telling her dream/memory. None of it had been hers, but it was all for her.

She looked around at the group. Some of them -Andrew and Mina- stood with their mouths standing open. Others, -Ami and Lita- held a hand to their mouths as if to cover their shock. Rei and Darien listened but continued to try and comfort her.

Now they all knew, she had Vampire blood running through her veins. And not just any Vampire. One of the oldest alive. Suddenly, her room felt very small, and all the people in it were closing in, making it hard to breathe.

She stood, hurriedly, needing to get out. "Serena? Are you okay?"

What a stupid question, of course, she wasn't okay. "I just need some air."

She gently pushed past Mina and her question, going to the living room where she began to pace. The doors to the balcony were still glassless, allowing plenty of air into their small apartment. The grey dawn was breaking into what promised to be a warm and beautiful day by the looks of it. But that thought brought little comfort to her.

Every single body that was in her room now piled out, watching her as she paced. The images of her great, great, etc. grandmother still playing over in her head.

"So this means…...Abel is my great times 100 grandfather?"

No one answered her, they didn't need to. They just watched her work it all out in front of them.

"But….he kissed me. Like...really kissed me. Not like how my pop-pop used to kiss us. This was not a family kiss."

Ami took a small step forward, "I don't think Vampires care much about incest. Even though your relation to one another has been washed out over the centuries, the two of you would hardly share any DNA at this point."

She looked over at the small girl, holding up her wrist showing her veins. "No DNA? His blood runs through my veins!"

"And that is probably what attracts him to you," she continued, carefully, "that and you said you look exactly like your ancestor."

She felt her stomach try to turn, "I think I'm going to be sick."

She stopped pacing and sat down, bending over to hold her head in her hands, trying to get the floor to stop spinning. She looked over at her concerned friends. Their eyes focused on her, she could see the fear they held. She didn't know if the fear was for her or because of her, but it made her heart hurt.

"Guys, I'm sorry about earlier. With being a Vampire and all. I know I said some things. But I didn't mean them…"

Mina spoke up, "We know Serena," she gestured to herself and Ami who stood beside her, "We know all too well the cruel things you can do when you're not in control."

For the first time, she saw it, maybe it had been there for a while now. The shame in their eyes; the pure hatred for themselves.

Springing up off the couch, she grabbed both of them, holding them tightly to her. It occurred to her she had not been a very good friend to either of them since they were returned. She pulled away, placing one hand on one cheek of their faces, making sure she had their eyes as she spoke.

"You both need to let that go now. It wasn't your fault. Nicholas and the Countess were after me, you were my collateral damage. It was all my fault. I don't blame you, and I'm sorry if I have been distant. It's not because of what you did, it is because of what I did. It was my fault you had to endure so much pain, and I was keeping my distance out of my shame. So, let it go now. Let it go."

They both broke down, tears and sobs erupting from them as they clutched her tightly. Her shirt was getting wet from their tears, but she didn't care. Maybe she couldn't heal others with her gift, but she could heal the two of them.

When they finally stopped, they released her looking exhausted. It was still very early in the day, barely morning. So she sent them to bed. She sent everyone to bed. Soon it was just her and Darien alone once again. He had a pleased smile on his face that irritated her to no end.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just nice to get a glimpse of the Serena I used to know."

"What the hell are you talking about now?"

He pointed towards Mina and Ami in the loft, "Forgiving, kind. That is the Serena I always knew."

"Just because I haven't forgiven you doesn't mean I'm incapable of it. Besides, they deserved it."

"And I don't?"

She held her tongue. She really didn't want to argue about this again. She walked back to her room, sensing him following her. He stood silently in the doorway as if he knew she had more to get off her chest than she had told the others.

"It's all my fault."

"What is?"

"Everything, Darien. Mina and Ami, even the damned broken glass in the living room. My family is cursed, and we curse those around us."

He sat down on the edge of her bed, "That's not true."

She didn't face him, she continued to keep her gaze distant, "Even you are my fault."

"I'm a fault?"

Now she turned, looking him in the eye, "Your entire family line became Hunters all because of my family. Your ancestor pledged to end all demons because of what happened to my ancestor. Your life will be plagued with evil and darkness and danger because of me!"

He stood and walked over to her, "First of all, it's not because of you, it's because of your ancestor. And Second, my ancestors were already dabbling in the occult before any of them met your ancestor."

"But it was the death of mine that put the nail in the coffin."

"No, the love my ancestor had for yours is what put the nail in the coffin. And I don't see anything wrong with continuing to avenge that wrongdoing by killing Abel."

She shook her head, "I don't want anyone else getting killed or hurt for me. I'm not worth the lives of others."

He took a step closer to her, "But it is our lives to decide. No one here is confused. We all know the risks, and yet we've all chosen to stay by your side. What does that tell you, Serena?"

"That you're all fools…"

"That we all love you. Don't you ever forget it either because that will keep you from turning dark."

She walked around him, needing to escape his gaze, "Maybe that would be a good thing. Then you guys could move on with your lives."

He grabbed her roughly, spinning her around to face him again, his eyes dark and stormy, "Don't you ever say that. If you turned into a Vampire….our lives would be over. We would not stop trying to save you, and you would kill us all because no way in hell could any of us kill you."

With her free hand, she pointed to her shoulder, still sore from his stake, "You tried to. Less than ten minutes I'm a Vampire, and you had a stake in me."

"You were going to kill Andrew. And I could have easily killed you then, but I didn't. I couldn't."

"Well, you need to get over that cause you may have to put me down some day."

He released her and walked over to her window. Arms crossed over his chest, he looked out over the city. His anger was evident on his face, and he refused to look at her. She'd gone too far. She was pushing him, and she knew it, but she hadn't cared. Now he had closed up to her. The string pulled tightly, painfully as the anger and pain he felt vibrated through it and into her.

She slowly made her way to him, placing a hand on his arm, "I'm sorry."

Surprise flashed on his face, but it quickly disappeared back to anger, "You still don't get it, do you?"

She shrunk away at his words, "What is there to get?"

He watched her in the reflection of the window, "Do you even know why I'm here?"

Confused, she returned his gaze, "Your Aunt called your Uncle and told you to come home."

He turned, facing her now, "Really? That's what you think?"

"Well isn't it true?" She wasn't sure what his point was.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "I'm here for you!"

"I know that! I know you are here because of the monster who is after me…"

"No Serena. I'm not here because of the Abel. I am here because of you, YOU."

"Okay I get it, you are here for me…"

"No, you don't get it. I left for you, Serena. I left so I could get stronger to protect you. I hoped you would move on with your life and find happiness without me, but a small part of me didn't want you to. Everything I have ever done was for you. I walked away from you when we were kids to protect you, and I left you five years ago for the same reason."

"Why? Why would you do that?!"

"Because I love you! I've loved you since we were children, before I even knew what it meant, since the first time I laid eyes on you I have loved you. Hell, even our ancestors loved one another." He took a step to her, closing the gap between them, "we belong to one another. But you already know that. You have known it as long as I have. You are just too stubborn to face it."

He towered over her, his eyes wild over her. The string was tight on her chest and more than anything she wanted to reach up and close the gap between their mouths. She was sure he wanted the same, but he did nothing and fear kept her in her place. She silently wished he would kiss her again. That he would throw her on the bed and not let her go until she was his forever. None of that would come out of her mouth or her body. She couldn't get over the fear, the fear of him leaving again. It held on tighter than her fear of Abel and death. It would be a living death for her if he left her again. She wouldn't make it this time.

He walked around her, heading for the door. "Where are you going?"

He didn't stop or look at her, "Home."

And just like that, he walked out, leaving her alone with his words and her thoughts.

vVv

He was still angry when he stepped into the elevator. He smacked the button for his floor, it popped in protest, but the elevator soon lurched as it carried him up.

He was angry at Serena, but he was even more angry at himself. He had lost control, said things he probably shouldn't have, and then left. Serena was still in danger, but he couldn't take being in that little room any longer. She was oblivious to his feeling for her and her own feeling for him. And the longer he stayed, the more he wanted to show her his feelings. With that bed right behind him, it took all his strength to walk away.

Her eyes told him she wanted him to, but her words and actions up to that point told him otherwise. He was really starting to doubt her feelings for him. Maybe he was too late, maybe she didn't love him anymore.

If she was too blind to see his feelings for her then he should have just let it go, he shouldn't have yelled it all at her. He could have just left with his Uncle after all this had been cleaned up and she would be none the wiser. Maybe he should just leave town again and never come back.

Something pulled painfully in his chest at the thought. An unconscious reminded of all that he would be leaving behind if he did walk away.

The doors slid open, and he wandered out, lost in thought not paying any attention to his surroundings. That is until he smelled smoke.

His head popped up from his feet, looking for the source. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the thick black clouds pouring out of his Uncle's library.

Racing in, the room was engulfed in flames, all the textbooks and anthologies turning black in the advancing heat. It overwhelmed him, the heat, knocking him back a few steps.

He found the fire extinguisher in the kitchen and raced back, hoping to save some of the works. The flames gone, he surveyed the damage. All was lost, save for a small handful of texts that were thick, taking longer to burn. Their blackened edges were still hot as he carefully removed them from the shelves in hopes of at least saving them.

His thoughts were broken by another, where the hell was his Uncle? No way he would have let this get this far. And how in the world did it even get started? Someone had started it, set flames on the precious works, keeping them from finding whatever secret they might hold.

He grabbed the first weapon he could find among the ashes, a small blade with a pure silver tip and a cross-shaped hilt.

Not making a sound, he searched the apartment, looking for any signs of his Aunt and Uncle. Past the study and into the dojo, he could see inside that it was empty, but it hadn't always been. There had been a fight in there, weapons strewn across the floor, blood covered and forgotten. The floor had scorch marks all over it as if someone had attempted to start a fire in this room as well but was stopped.

He moved on, going deeper into the apartment. He glanced in his room, seeing that it had been torn apart as well. Probably out of spite as there could hardly be anything worth searching for in there.

He was coming to the end of the apartment, having found no sign of life. Walking into the bedroom his Aunt and Uncle shared, he saw nothing. He was about to leave when he heard it. A sickening sound of someone munching coming from the other side of the bed.

He crept around, slowly with his guard up and ready to go. As he rounded the foot of the bed, his eyes found the cause of the sound and his stomach dropped.

On the floor was the lifeless bloodied body of his Aunt, Diana. Her eyes stared, empty, up at him as he came upon the scene. Hovering over her was his Uncle, or what remained of his Uncle, only in appearance. But as soon as he turned and looked at him, he could see that his Uncle's soul had already left his body.

Blood covered his mouth, and he dropped Diana's heart back to the floor. It made a revolting sound as it smacked and bounced once on the floor.

He was in shock. Unable to move or think at the horror show before him. The only remaining family he had, and they were covered in blood.

Michael took advantage of this, slamming him against the wall, using his new strength. He sneered in his face, the smell of rot on his breath making him want to vomit.

"Hello, Darien. So nice of you to join us."

"Uncle, what have you done?"

He turned slightly glancing over at the body that lay a few inches from them, "The bitch wouldn't tell me where your heart was so I took hers."

He threw him off of him, pulling the blade back up to a fighting position, "My heart?"

Michael came at him again, Darien dodging and blocking as he attacked. His mind was racing, what the hell did he mean by his heart…..Serena. Abel had come here and turned Uncle, in hopes that he would tell him where Serena was. He still didn't know. Uncle never knew where Serena lived, he had never asked, and Darien had never told him. A safety precaution his Uncle must have taken. He didn't know if his Aunt knew where Serena was, but she didn't say if she did.

How did Abel find them?!

Distracted by his thoughts, Michael got a hit in, getting him in the ribs, breaking a few. Darien wheezed, a rib very close to tearing through his lung. He needed to focus.

Michael circled him, watching him with pleasure as he struggled to breathe. "I can't tell you how liberating it is to be in this form now. No more fear, no more weakness. I no longer have to care for your sorry ass. And I am more powerful than the pathetic Hunter I once was." He outstretched his hand to him, an offering, "Join me, Darien. Together we would be unstoppable. All you have to do is tell me where Serena is."

"This isn't you Uncle. This isn't what you would have wanted. Not for yourself and not for me."

His face changed from amused to rage, "Just tell me where the bitch is!"

"Stop it, Uncle!"

His sneer returned, "It doesn't matter. Abel will just follow your scent back to her now."

He blanched. His room. They weren't searching for anything, they were picking up his scent. His scent that would lead them right back to Serena.

He had to get out of here, get back to Serena before Abel found her. Steeling himself, he ran towards his Uncle, blade at the ready. Michael easily dodged him as he expected he would. In a blink, he was behind him. Michael lunged for him, planning on snapping his neck. But then he stopped frozen in his spot.

Darien turned around watching as his Uncle looked down to find the blade, once in Darien's hand, was now firmly stuck in his chest. When he attempted to jump Darien from behind, Darien had thrust the blade backward, causing Michael to fall on it in his haste.

Confusion washed over his face before all remaining life left his blood red eyes. Darien stared at the body of his Uncle and over at the body of his Aunt. He could mourn later. Right now he had to get to Serena. He pulled the blade out of his Uncles chest and ran with all his might.

vVv

Rolling over to the naked form next to her, she drank in the sight of him laying barely covered by her sheets. She had his body memorized, but she still found joy at the sight of it. She pulled the sheets up to her chest, covering herself as she watched him sleep.

"You could just take a picture you know?" His eyes opened, smiling at catching her.

"Yes well, knowing my luck, someone would find it. And I don't think you want Serena or Rei to see that."

He turned, propping himself up on his elbow. "No, I definitely don't want that. I could never show my face here again."

She sat up, letting the sheet fall from her, feeling no modesty under his gaze. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back to him. His mouth found her hip started kissing and nibbling on her flesh.

Giggling, she laid back down, giving him better access, "We should really get some sleep. Who knows when we will get another chance."

His mouth was on her lower stomach, inches above her 'sweet spot.' "Who knows when we will get another chance for this either."

She moaned loudly as his mouth went lower, her hands dug into his hair, holding him to the spot as if he would actually leave. His hands gripped her hips, holding her steady as he worked his magic on her. It wasn't long before she felt the heat rising in her from his mouth and spread all over her. She let out a not so soft yell as it hit its climax, sending waves of pleasure through her.

Settling back on the bed, Andrew led a trail of kissing up her body, until his mouth found hers again. His stiffness against her thigh, begging to be allowed back in. She granted him entrance, shifting her weight so that she engulfed him.

They rocked together in perfect, practiced rhythm, their ragged breath mingling together as they watched one another get taken over by ecstasy. One more loud yell from the both of them as they reached their limit and they both fell limp on the bed.

He laid on top of her, still inside her as they both caught their breath and regained their senses, "I think they heard that."

They both laughed, kissing in between gasps. They had just settled back down when she heard it. A crunching sound coming from the living room.

She placed a finger to Andrew's mouth, listening intently. "Did you hear that?"

He listened as well, straining to hear whatever she had just heard. Then it came again, crunch crunch. Andrew's face went from confused to concerned in a manner of seconds.

"It's the glass. Someone is sneaking in!"

He jumped off of her, throwing on his boxers and pants before rushing out of the room. She was dressing as quickly as she could, throwing on whatever came to her hands first. She had just pulled her pants up when Andrew's body came flying through the wall, knocking down the temporary wall that blocked off her room from the living room.

It fell hard on top of her, pinning her from the waist down. She tried to lift it but along with Andrew's unconscious weight on top of it, it wouldn't budge, she couldn't get a good angle on it.

Looking towards Andrew, she saw that he wasn't moving. Fear crept into her heart, looking desperately for any sign of life. It was only when she saw his chest rise slowly that she allowed herself to focus on anything else.

A tall, dark creature stood before her, its red eyes glaring down at her with a twisted smile on its face. It loomed over her, a man made of mist and evil, but it made no attempt to come any closer to her. Instead, it turned, heading towards Serena's room.

Rei emerged from her room on the other side of the apartment and looking up she saw Amy and Mina leaning over the railing of the loft. Soon Serena stepped out and saw the scene before her. Rage was evident on her face even from where she laid helpless.

Ami and Mina stumbled down the steps towards Serena, standing in front of her. But Serena pushed through them, pushing them behind her instead. Rei moved to get to Serena's side, but in a blink, the creature was standing a breath away from Serena's face.

It leaned over, saying something to her. Lita couldn't hear what he said, but all three girls' eyes went wide. Ami and Mina started pleading with Serena, telling her no and not to do it. But Serena was ignoring them, looking around the room at all of them.

Just as Rei reached the three girls, Serena gave her hand to the creature, and they both disappeared.

vVv

He walked into the aftermath of pure hell. Ami and Mina sat on the floor sobbing while Rei was struggling to pull a piece of wall off the floor. He ran to her aid, passing by Andrew's unconscious body lying nearby, seeing that Lita was under the wall. He had it off of her in a second. She limped over to Andrew, pulling his head into her lap.

He didn't need to ask, he already knew the answer. When he looked around the room and saw that Serena wasn't there.

Rei was trying to control her own tears, "She left with him. He didn't do anything to us, save for these two," she gestured to the couple behind her, "He just took her and left. Why would he leave us alive?"

"That was the agreement." He turned, finding Mina still on the floor holding Ami, "He told her if she came with him, he wouldn't harm any of us anymore. So she took his hand, and they were gone."

Mina was in partial shock, but he knew it was true. Serena kept saying it was all her fault, all the pain, and anguish they had all faced. She truly thought she was the cause. So when she was given a chance to end it all, she took it without question.

"Are you serious? Are we to go through all this again?" Rei was screaming, anger and fear bubbling over her edges, "How could she do this to us again?"

Tears were streaming down Lita's face, "Because she is stupid and she loves us."

Rei looked at him, hopeful, "Can your Uncle help us again? Maybe he knows where he took her?"

A lump formed in his throat, but he swallowed it back down, still not the time, "He can't help us. He's dead."

Gasps were heard around the room that quickly turned to sobs. They had lost Serena again. And this time, they had no idea where or how to find her.

vVv

The mixture of the speed of his flight, the fear of leaving her friends behind again, and the pain in her chest from the invisible string made her pass out before they arrived at where ever she now was. Even if she had stayed awake to figure out where she was, the world was flying by too fast for her brain to register what it was seeing.

She woke up in a bed in a dark room. She recognized the bed as the same one from her dreams, the whole thing the exact same down to the sheets. Although she really doubted the original cloth survived all those years, she wouldn't put it past Abel to hold onto the same sheet he had Serenity on. All of it was the same as the one Abel had raped and imprisoned Serenity in. But the rest of the room looked different. And the air smelled damp and stale as if they were underground.

Clad in only a thin loose tank and cloth shorts, her bare feet touched the ground. There was no floor, just compacted dirt. The walls were made of some kind of rock, rough to the touch and arching over her. She was in a cave.

Something heavy knocked against the front of her thigh. Digging in her pocket, she found her saving grace, her cell phone. She had been contemplating calling or texting Darien until she remembered she no longer had his number. She must have slipped it into her pocket out of frustration before she fell asleep. Now she held it in her hands as if it were given to her by God himself. She woke it up, desperately calling the first number that popped up in her memory. But nothing happened, the phone stayed silent in her hands. She looked closer and saw she had no signal, not a single bar. The thick cave walls were blocking her signal, she would never get a call or text out from where she was.

She turned on the flashlight on her phone and found her way out of the 'room,' finding long stretches of labyrinths that made up the cave, twisting a turning endlessly. Stalactite hung from the ceiling creating a cathedral feeling. A man-made bridge carried her over a river of stalagmite, threatening to plunge into her flesh with every creak of the aged wood.

Every few minutes as she went further in a direction that was a complete guess, she glanced at her phone, checking to see if she had left her dead zone.

Unsure of how long she had been wandering, she began to feel unsure of herself. Her feet ached, tired from walking and from the thousands of scrapes and cuts she received from the rocky floor on her bare feet.

The air started to change just as she was about to give up. She could smell it, fresh air. Then the cave started to lighten up, light bouncing off the walls from a light source in the distance.

The cave opened up, and light streamed in from above her. Dried leaves covered the floor, making a soft pillow under her feet. She was surrounded by rock, stretching up several feet above her. At the top, was a large hole in the rock, showing the sky above.

She quickly flipped her phone over. She had one bar. She dialed the number she knew by heart, hoping it would connect in time. It rang and rang and with each ring, her hopes faltered. Finally, the phone clicked with a connection, and she heard her the sweetest sound in her ear.

"Serena?! Is that you?! Where are you?!"

"Raye, thank God. I don't know where I am, but I'm in some kind of cave. It's huge too and old with those pointed rock formations on the floors and ceilings."

"Okay okay, don't worry….and you." She could hear the frantic tone in Raye's voice, fear-filled and worry driven.

Now her voice shook a little, the connection going in and out. "Raye?"

"Oh, modern technology. So fickle. Just like a woman."

He stood behind her, watching her every move. She could hear Raye's voice screaming through the phone at her. Saying something about waiting for them and surviving before the connection clicked away completely.

He sauntered over to her, taking the phone without much protest from her. It had served its purpose for her. He looked it over and for some reason, handed it back to her, not seeing it as a threat to him.

She felt the gravity flip around her, and her stomach did a flip-flop as she landed back on the bed again. She knew this trick from her dreams, he let her wander around knowing full well he would be bringing her back here before she could get close to any kind of exit. She also knew what came next in his sick little game.

He hovered over her, watching her and waiting to make his move. He was planning on treating her the same way he had treated Serenity. But she was not Serenity, and she would not go down without a fight.

She pressed her knees into her chest, her feet finding his chest in return. With all her might, she extended her legs, thrusting them up and outward, pushing him off of her and into the cave rock behind him. She got to her feet quickly, ready for his retaliation. But instead, he stood on the other side of the room where she had thrown him, laughing.

"You have spirit, I'll give you that." he blinked in front of her, wrapping an arm around her waist and claiming her lips with his. She pushed and fought against his hold, and he released her soon enough, "But make no mistake Serenity, I will not let you go again. I'd rather you be dead than in the arms of that Van Helsing."

He released her, and she spat in his face for the third time since meeting him. "I'm not Serenity. I'm your granddaughter you sick fuck!"

He wiped her spit off his face, the remaining amusement from his face wiping away as well, "My blood may run through your veins, but you are far from being my grandchild." His hand grabbed her face, holding her still as he spoke, "No what you are is perfect. A perfect blend of monster and angel. The face of my Serenity and the power of my kind. You are a perfect match for me, body and soul."

This guy had lost it. In no way was she a match for him except maybe in battle. She could take him if she had any weapon to use on him. He released her and disappeared. Probably so she would wander again, and he could 'find' her. He probably would let her tire herself out this time. That way she wouldn't put up as much of a fight.

Like hell, she wouldn't. She would fight him to her dying breath, she was not going to let him have her. She owed it to Serenity and Endymion to not let him win again, to end his miserable existence once and for all.

Endymion's face flashed in her mind. So similar to Darien it was startling. Her heart pounded painfully at the thought of him. There was no way he was not furious at her for leaving with a Vampire again. But she couldn't let anyone die for her.

Things were different this time, she was not a helpless little girl anymore, she could take care of herself. The string pulled tightly at the thought. She may not need anyone anymore, but she wanted Darien. No matter how hard she fought against it, she wanted Darien so much it hurt.

It hardly seemed to matter, given her current surroundings, Darien was not here. And if they were able to trace her through her call, it would be hours if not days before they found her. Until a few minutes ago, Darien had been the last to kiss her, and she wanted to keep it that way. She didn't want any part of her to be tainted by Abel.

She remembered how Serenity escaped. She used Abel's hubris against him. He had doubted her determination to get away from him, maybe she could somehow do the same? She could maybe find her way back to the hole in the cave and probably climb out. Abel wouldn't expect her to be able to, given her human body. She wasn't sure she could do it, but she could at least try. She just had to wait for the right opportunity. Abel had to have his guard down.

She didn't bother going anywhere else, she knew Abel would just stop her, and she would waste her energy. Instead, she focused her time on forming a plan.

vVv

His anger was out of his control, fueled by fear and loss. He grabbed the dining room table, flipping it over with one hand and no effort. It landed with a pop, one of the legs splintering and flying off in another direction. It did nothing to quell his overwhelming feelings, his rage pulsing through him like never before.

He turned away from the devastation, the glass still all over the floor and now the broken table. All of this was his fault. The girls were sobbing behind him, either out of fear for Serena's safety or their own from him but he didn't care. Needing some kind of distraction before he tore the whole place apart, he looked over Lita, and she held Andrew's unconscious body.

"How is he?"

Lita's eyes were red and worried. "He's breathing, but I don't know past that…"

As if on cue, Andrew began to rouse, groaning as he sat up. "Did anyone get the plate on that truck?"

Lita hugged him furiously and as glad as he was to see him awake, it didn't solve their larger problem. His anger was still at a boiling point the longer they stood and did nothing.

Andrew seemed to get his wits about him quickly, searching the room for a certain blonde, "Where is Serena?" No one spoke, they didn't need to, "Goddamnit. I almost get my neck broken, and she went with him willingly didn't she?!"

Andrew knew Serena all too well. They all did. None of them were the least bit surprised at her sacrifice, which spoke volumes about the kind of person Serena was. Part of him had known all along that, if given the opportunity, Serena would give herself up if it would save even one of her friends.

How could she be so stupid? So careless with her own life? Abel would probably circle back any minute now to kill all of them. Or Serena's family as he did to Serenity's.

Most of his anger was angled at himself. He hadn't let his anger get the best of him, leaving her alone to this fate, he would have been there to protect Serena. He had failed her again. The glass, the broken table, the broken girls in the corner, and the missing love of his life were all his fault.

"Raye, is there anything you can do? A tracking spell? Or consult the fire?" Lita was almost begging for Raye to come up with something.

She went into Serena's room and came back out something small and silver, "What is that?"

Raye looked over at Darien and held it up for him to see better, "One of Serena's prized possessions. I need if I'm going to use the spirits to find her."

He took a closer look and recognized it. It was the small bracelet he had given to her for her 8th birthday. It was the only jewelry he had ever given her, and he had only given it to her because he had just realized he was in love with her. Being 10, he had no idea how to deal with how he felt or how to show it. It took him a month to come up with the bracelet. It was a simple silver chain, but it had a few charms, like a tiny silver moon, Eiffel tower, and a bunny, on it from the following years, more gifts that he had given her. There weren't very many as it wasn't long after that he had pushed her away the first time.

Raye looked over at Lita, who was helping Andrew stand. "I'm going to do all I can with this, but just understand you are asking me for a miracle."

She raced out, heading for the temple. Lita and Andrew looked around helplessly at the mess, clearly not sure if they should even bother to clean. Mina approached him, gently as if she was afraid he would fly off the handle again.

"Please, tell me there is something we can do?"

She was talking about herself and Ami. He turned to Mina and Ami, both of them useless in their current state. "You two should go to the Tsukino's. Get them to leave town. Make something up, but get them far away."

They looked at him in confusion, but they left, doing as he asked without protest. Andrew was moving around pretty well, for a guy who probably had a concussion at least. He and Lita were trying to put her walls back up. He was feeling useless and pathetic about himself, there was nothing he could do but wait.

He was doing his best to fix the dining room table that he all but destroyed when Raye came bursting back into the apartment with Ami in tow. It had been less than 10 minutes since they had left, no way Rei had gotten a vision so quickly.

"Serena….she just….called me."

Raye was out of breath when she spoke, having run all the way back here, "What? How?"

She looked over at Andrew, "With her phone!"

"Hey, in this line of work, that was not a stupid question." He defended.

Darien ignored him, "Did she tell you where she was?!"

Raye shook her head, "All she could tell me was that she was in a cave."

"There are well over a hundred caves, known and unknown, in Japan alone," Ami added sadly.

"So we have nothing?" Hope draining from him as he spoke.

"Actually, if I could just use someone's computer," Ami sat down on the couch, "I could use her phone to track her location."

Lita disappeared and reappeared with a laptop. "You can do that? What if Abel destroys the phone?"

Ami shrugged, "Even if he does, I can use the call she just made to triangulate her position off of the local cell towers. Using that and the fact that we know she is in a cave, I should be able to at least tell you what cave to look in."

Shocked, they all proceeded to hug the small girl as she typed away furiously.

vVv

She had a plan, she just hoped it would work. There was no proof that it would, but also none that it wouldn't. The important thing was to stay positive, this had to work.

Serena was still laying on the bed when Abel returned. His eyes roamed over her, and her skin crawled at the action. It wasn't long before he was on the bed with her. His hands trying to traverse her flesh. His hands wound around her, pushing up fabric wherever they could. She steadied herself, readying herself for what she was about to do.

In as smooth of a move as she could muster, she threw herself on top of him, straddling him. Abel's face was that of shock at her sudden change of heart, but it soon melted away to one of pleasure. She had to fight her urge to vomit when he rested his hands on her exposed thighs, messaging them as he did. She placed her hands on his chest and lowered herself down so that she was dangerously close to his mouth.

"Is this what you want?" She purred it to him as best she could, trying to go for sexy.

He looked confused, but if he suspected anything was up, he didn't let it show. "I prefer to chase my prey, not the other way around."

"Oh, so you want the helpless victim? I can play that game too if you like."

She could feel his approval on her thigh, and again she had to fight the gag that was in her throat. She needed to concentrate if this was going to work. Being on top of him like this could only help her in her goal at this point. She thought back to what Darien had told her, about her other darker side and how to trigger it. Closing her eyes, she focused on the day that Darien left, the pain and the anger that she felt. How she was no longer loved by him or any other man.

Something started to rise within her, she could feel it, darkness in her heart. It sizzled and popped around the string in her heart, the string rejecting and fighting against it. She begged it to let go just this once, and let her go dark one last time. It hesitated, but soon it relented, letting the darkness spread through her.

Abel was kissing her hand, trailing up her arm, not paying attention to the changes she was undergoing. But, his loveless kisses only fueled her even more. She could feel her blood begin to boil as he placed a hand on her butt, squeezing as he tried to get her to start moving on his crotch.

Opening her eyes, she looked down at him, waiting for him to look back at her. When he did, she knew that her transformation was complete as his face went from shock to anger in a second. He sat up, ready to throw her off his lap but in her stronger form, she was able to move just as fast as him.

She wrapped her hands around his head and twisted with all her might, snapping his neck. He fell lifeless to the bed. She took a few seconds to search the room for anything to burn his corpse with but found nothing. She didn't have the time to waste if she was going to get out of there at all. She had no idea how long she could control her Vampire side, it was a miracle she was able to control it at all.

Her new speed had her back at the hole in a blink of an eye. But it was different, there was no soft sunlight streaming down. Instead, it was grey with clouds hovering above. Light rain fell, slowly moistening her hair and clothes. This was both good and bad, good because the rain would wash away her scent making it harder for Abel to follow her. Bad because it made the rocks she had to climb slick.

She had every confidence that her Vampire side could handle it though. The problem was, she wasn't sure how to use her strength in this form. Starting to climb, the slippery rocks gave her hands no purchase, and she slid back down several times. Her frustration grew with each slip. She took a deep breath, she had to remain calm, or she would use control. She just needed to use this strength for a little bit longer, and she silently prayed she would be able to put it back to sleep when she was done.

That would have to wait till later, she still had to get out of this cave. A sharp rock sliced through her palm as she fell for the tenth time. Anger coursed through her, and instinct took over. Her legs bent, summoning up power, and sprung up underneath her. She hurdled through the air, her arms and legs flailing as if they could grab onto the wind and pull her up even more.

The edge of the hole was quickly approaching. Her hands found the rocky surface and dug in like it was made of loose sand instead of granite. Her body banged hard against the side of the cavern, but she managed to hang on.

After a few short seconds of hanging, she pulled herself up and found herself standing on top on the cave. The hole was situated in deep woods, trees surrounding her. But all she could see of them was the tops, the base of the trees were far below. She looked over the edge and saw it was a long way down from where she now stood.

Her senses heightened, she smelled him before she saw him. She hadn't been fast enough, even in this state.

Twisting around, she felt pressure on her chest that she couldn't explain. Red eyes stared down at her, he was inches away from her, so it wasn't him applying the pressure. It was something else.

Peering down, she saw a large, jagged piece of wood sticking out of her chest. Shock numbed her as she glanced back up at Abel.

"You're right, you are not Serenity. But still, I can't let anyone else have you."

He shoved her off the cliff. Her body banged and bounced off the edges that jutted out, knocking her numb body all around until she finally hit the ground below, everything going black.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry sorry sorry! I kinda forgot how big a cliffy I left this on! That you all for R and R! You guys are the greatest! And you guys can thank SailorMoon489 and Philyzn for reminding (and hounding me with threats to my life) to get this update out tonight. It is nice and long...but you are going to be mad again I'm sure.

Bae-tae Beej88 in the house on this one! Check out her Twist in Time if you haven't already. It just hit 200 faves last week! Congratulations again Beej! Almost be sure to check out Hot and Heavy Chronicles by Ninjette Twitch. New chapter just posted and is fluffy hot!

Again, there is a lovely little playlist for this fic on Spotify called Blood Countess 2. And follow me on tumblr lovelies!

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

" _Never can true reconcilement grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep..."_

― _**John Milton**_ _,_ _ **Paradise Lost**_

It was getting dark. Serena had been abducted by Abel 7 hours, 48 minutes, and 45, 46, 47 seconds ago, but who's counting.

They'd been walking through these woods for almost two hours now and had yet to come across anything that looked like a cave. But according to Amy's tracking skills and Andrew's map reading skills, the cave that held Serena was getting close.

Darien walked at the head of their small search and rescue group, followed by Lita, Andrew, and then her. It had taken a lot to get Darien to take them with him. And even then, he only conceded because it was taking too much time to argue about it. It was clear, even at the back of the group, that he didn't want them there.

He was probably right, it did seem as though we were slowing him down. Andrew wasn't the only one who could read a map, but he was better than the rest of them, so he earned his keep. However, Lita and her presence had yet to prove useful. All she could offer was a small amount of protection should they need it.

The rain was starting to pick up, but none of them cared. It was the least of their worries. It did darken the woods around them and silence all the animals that had been scurrying around. It gave her a sick feeling in her gut, which she'd learned long ago meant much more than a stomachache. Something was wrong, and it was bad.

Finally, they came to what looked like a mountain face. They arrived at the cave, but there was no way in that any of them could see. They would have to circle the whole thing to find it.

"Maybe we should split up?" Lita offered.

Darien was already shaking his head, "This place is too big, and we only have one map."

Lita countered, "I can just use the GPS on my phone."

Before she could pull her phone out, Darien was waving his in front of her face. Showing the lack of any kind of signal, "This place is a complete dead zone. Satellites can't pierce the dense woods. It's a miracle that Serena was able to get a call out at all."

She stepped forward, the ominous feeling surrounding her getting heavier, causing her to get anxious. "We don't have time for this. We need to get to Serena."

Without another word, they headed towards a direction, none caring really which way they went as long as it was in the process of searching for an opening. They had made it only a few feet around the endless mountain when they all heard it. It was a scream. One full of fear and sadness, like the scream of someone who knew they were dead already.

It came from behind them, where they had started. Without a second thought, they all started running, doing the best they could to find the source of the scream. It sounded as though it came from above them. It had lasted only a second, not giving them much time at all to locate the source. This fact didn't seem to bother Darien, as he left them all in the dust of his speed.

The mountain curved around, Darien disappearing around it. The man had just been going on about not separating and here he was going off without them. If they got lost, she was going to be so…

Her thoughts were cut short as Andrew nearly ran into the back of Darien as they rounded another blind curve. He was standing there, staring at something on the ground, a lump of something.

She moved around the two of them, coming closer to see what they were now both staring at, but she regretted it as soon as she caught sight of it.

Serena was lying motionless on the ground before them. Blood covered her, and she seemed to have a cut or a bruise on every inch of her body. None of her wounds were healing like they usually did. Her eyes soon found out why. Protruding from Serena's chest was a long, slender wooden stake. Serena wasn't healing because she was dead.

vVv

As soon as he saw her, everything stopped. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. Her lifeless body laid strewn on the ground like a twig that had been snapped in half. She was broken, torn and bloody. But none of that mattered now, she felt none of it as she'd already been ripped away from the pain.

He felt for the string at his heart, hoping to pull on it again and to feel his connection to her again. But no matter how hard he searched, the string was gone. There was no one attached to it anymore.

The others surrounded him, looking at the sight before him. He was numb all over, and he barely registered their existence. She was dead. The shock was the first thing they felt, silent as they looked upon the body. There was no doubt it was her, but as Lita slowly approached the crumpled form on the forest floor, he could tell she was still hoping for it to be someone else.

Getting as close as she could bear, she turned away quickly after a few seconds of observing the body. A hand covered her mouth as the tears streamed down. Only confirming what he already knew to be true. It was Serena.

Abel had killed her. He honestly didn't think he would, given his history with Serena's family. He'd been a fool. Abel loved Serenity, not Serena. When Serena had proven to be nothing like her ancestor other than in appearance, Abel had killed her for it.

And now he was going to kill him.

The only thing he could feel was his bloodlust. Everything else was white noise. He looked upwards from where Serena must have fallen and assessed the best course to get up there and ram his fist through Abel's chest. He was going to rip that son of a bitch's heart out and show it to him. He wanted him to know how it felt to have his heart plucked out of his chest like he was at the moment, hoping it would beat for at least a few seconds while he held it up to his fucking face.

He remembered everything his Uncle had taught him, and the number one thing he'd said was to control your emotions in a fight; that demons will use your heart against you. It was a distraction, and it would get him killed. But right now his mind was painfully clear, his anger heated his blood and sharpened his senses. He'd never felt so ready for a battle in his life. Abel couldn't use this against him, his heart was already dead, lying on the forest floor before him.

His hand reached out to grab the cliff's edge when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Arching his back, not letting go of the cliff, he found Andrew's traitorous hand holding him in an attempt to stop him.

Tears were streaming down Andrew's face as well. "Where are you going?!"

"I'm going to rip him the shreds."

Raye stepped up, "No Darien. You can't fight him, not now. You're in no place to do so."

"I'm in the best place to do so."

He moved to start his climb again when Raye placed a hand on his other shoulder. "We need your help….we need to get her home…."

He shrugged them both off, "I need to kill him."

Rei was sobbing now, "Serena wouldn't want you to go blinded with rage like this."

"It doesn't matter what she wants now, does it?!"

He'd had enough. He was going to bathe in Abel's blood. Tonight! Nothing and no one could convince him otherwise. He was going to kill Abel or die trying. Either ending was fine with him. As much as he wanted to kill Abel, he found that death was just as pleasing to him at the moment. So that he could join Serena wherever she was now.

He stopped again, this time not because of a hand, but because of a voice. Lita let out a strangled cry, weak, scared, but also surprised, "Darien."

He looked at her expecting her to give him a piece of her mind as well, but she wasn't even looking at him. He followed her gaze as they led him back towards Serena.

Everyone was frozen as they watched her body move. A small shudder at first, but then she sat up, the stake still protruding from her chest. It was an eerie sight.

He came down off of the rock and back onto the ground. No one moved or made a sound. Her eyes looked around, finding them staring at her, confusion flashing over her face. Her beautiful, alive face. Then she looked down and saw the stake through her, what they had all believed, was her heart.

Her hands wrapped around it, and they all screamed "DON'T!".

She ripped it out anyway, a sick sucking sound coming from the action as the stake tried to hold itself in place. She was in shock. She held the stake out looking it over, her blood coating and dripping from it. Letting it drop, she fell with it to the ground, unconscious.

vVv

It took her a few seconds, but when she woke up, she soon figured out she was in her room. It was dark, not even the tiniest hint of light coming in. Her sleep finally wore off and the pain set in. She hurt everywhere. She wasn't used to feeling pain, and now she found it overwhelming. The majority of it was in her chest. She felt around, carefully assessing her body. Finding cut after cut until her fingers laid on the gauze that was wrapped repeatedly around her chest.

Everything came flooding back. The cave, Abel, making her escape, and then the stake through the heart.

But her heart was still beating. She could tell that much.

"He missed your heart. Just barely." Looking for the source of the voice, she found Ami had been sitting next to her for who knows how long, "Somebody up there must really like you," she pointed upwards towards the sky as she said it, "You're fortunate to be alive right now."

She tried to sit up, making it halfway before giving up and settling into a slumped position, "I don't feel very fortunate right now."

Ami laughed as she leaned over and turned on Serena's bedside lamp, "Trust me, you are. You're even luckier that you didn't graze your heart when you foolishly pulled the stake out."

With the light on, she could now see Ami's face. She had big circles under her eyes, and her face was red and puffy from crying, "Oh Ami."

Ami wiped at her face to clear any remaining tears, "Sorry, but I wasn't sure you were going to wake up. Ever."

She held out her hand for Ami to take, not being able to take it herself, "I'm okay. Never better!"

Ami gave her a leering look as if to warn her, but it came a bit too late, "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you myself." Raye stood in the doorway, her face full of anger and tears, "Understand?"

She nodded, afraid of inciting the pyro's rage any further. Ami busied herself checking over her wounds, helping her sit up and carefully unwrapping the mile-long gauze they had put on her.

The stab wound was covered up with coagulated blood and strange yellow flesh, her usual healing process from this type of injury. The blood had long ago stopped flowing, and now her body was in the process of pulling the flesh and tissue back together. It was a process that actually hurt quite a bit, but probably not as much as an open wound taking its sweet time to heal. Ami shifted, uncomfortable with the sight of it, not used to such strange goings-on. But she covered her again with the gauze.

It wrapped around her from chest to ribs like a tube top. Other than the shorts she'd had on earlier, which were stained with mud and blood, she wore nothing else.

A knock came at the door at which Raye was still standing watch, "Is she decent?"

After a quick nod, Andrew poked his head in the room, relief washing over his tired features when he saw her sitting up. "You gave us quite the scare there, Sere."

At least she could count on Andrew not to give her a hard time, either with guilt from tears or lectures of anger. Lita came in behind him, and Raye shifted to the side to let her in the room as well. She just gave her a warm smile; no words were needed.

She didn't see him, but she knew he was there, lurking just outside of the door and out of sight. The string to him tugged in a gentle rhythm as his heart welcomed her back to the world of the living. But she could also sense his anger as it quivered down the string to her.

She needed a distraction from the brooding man. "Where's Mina?"

Ami sat back down next to her bed. "She went to get your parents from out of town. We feared Abel would come for them as he did with Serenity's family. She called an hour ago to tell us that they were all safe and that she would tell us later where they were."

She let a sigh of relief escape her lips, she hadn't even thought about that. "Thank you, guys."

Raye smirked, "Don't thank us. It was Darien's idea."

She leaned out of bed as much as she could, trying to get a glimpse of him, but it was useless. He was well out of sight.

"Could you guys give us a minute?"

His voice was low and demanding. It wasn't really a request, and they all filed out slowly. Ami was the only one who lingered. Darien finally entered the room, then she stood and left giving her a fleeting glance of sympathy.

Ami shut the door softly behind her while Darien stood a good foot away with his arms crossed. He stared at the sheets on the bed, refusing to look at her. She waited patiently while he collected his thoughts, the silence palpable throughout the room. She wrung her hands as she waited, her heart racing as she watched him boil before her.

When she was falling, the stake firmly in her chest and her body bouncing down the slope, she'd had only one thought in her head. Darien. His face had come to her mind clearer than a picture. He'd been her last thoughts as she fell to what she assumed was her death. Of all the people in her life, and all of the people that she loved, it was him that she'd thought of. And how she regretted every moment that she'd spent fighting him instead of being with him. He'd been right; she needed to forgive him. If anything, so that they could move on with their lives, either together or apart.

She knew he was furious, but she couldn't help but smile as he fidgeted from his rage. He started to pace, no longer able to control his anger in motionless silence.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she remained silent, letting him vent, "I mean...do you have a death wish? Do you want to die, Serena? Is that it? Because I can think of no other reason as to why time and time again you go willingly with psychopaths!"

He was waiting for her to answer. "I do not regret my choice."

He stopped pacing and stared down at her. "You cannot be serious."

She kept herself even toned, not wanting to come off as aggressive. "Now we have the advantage. We know where Abel is and he thinks I'm dead. We need to move fast though, he might move on pretty quickly."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. He's going to stay in town and make sure that you and everyone you love is dead. And he only thinks you're dead because YOU WERE!"

He'd started pacing again, refusing to look at her. "But...I'm not. Can't you just be happy about that?"

He stopped and looked at her, "I am happy about it. I'm ecstatic," he sat down on the bed next to her. "Serena, when I thought that you were dead….I saw you lying there and….."

He couldn't get the words out, but she had a pretty good feeling she knew what he was trying to say. She covered his hand with hers, "It's okay...I'm okay."

He grabbed hold of her hand, holding it in both of his, "No it's not okay. I failed you again. How many times am I going to watch you disappear, only to find you with something sticking out of your chest?"

She laughed, but he didn't. He was being serious. Her anger peaked its head out for a moment, just long enough for it to say something that she regretted as soon as it left her mouth.

"Well, now you know how I felt each time you left me."

He let go of her hand and stood, standing with his back to her. Guilt permeated through her. That was going too far. She'd already decided to forgive him, but there she was, rubbing his nose in it. Focusing her attention back on her hands, she noticed that they were red from her constantly squeezing and releasing them.

This moment was a turning point, she could feel it. Either she could pull him back to her or push him out of her life forever. It was her choice, and he was giving it to her now. Had you asked her a few weeks ago, before he showed back up in her life, what she would choose, the answer would have been easy. But now as she watched his back, flexing back and forth every so slightly from the tension, she found the answer harder to grasp.

She was sore and tired, but she could move regardless of what any of the others told her. Gathering her strength, she made her choice. Reaching out as far as her body and the bed would let her, she latched onto his hand, a gesture that caught him by surprise.

Spinning towards her, he swiftly came to her side, pushing her back onto the bed in the sitting position she'd just been in. When he moved to leave her there, she grabbed him again, pulling him in close, and forcing him to sit back down on the bed with her.

"I'm sorry. That was unfair of me to say."

His eyes searched her face, "I see you still haven't forgiven me."

She shook her head, "No I have. I do forgive you, Darien," he gave her a look of disbelief. "I do, I really do."

He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, you sure do have a funny way of showing it."

A smile spread across her face, "It's been a while. I'm out of practice."

She watched as a smile threatened to crack his angry face, he turned away from her eyes, "Damnit Serena, you're making it really hard to stay mad at you. And I really want to be mad at you right now."

She placed a hand on his arm, hoping to get him to look at her again. "No, you don't."

He kept his eyes towards the floor, but he didn't shrug off her touch. Just a hand on his arm and his warmth spread up her arm and into her chest. Her heart beat wildly, hurting just a bit at her already sore wound. She unconsciously started rubbing his arm, and a hand grabbed hers, stilling the movement.

"You should get some rest. Let your body heal."

"It's already almost healed." She argued.

He stood, releasing both their holds on one another. "But it's not healed all the way."

He made for the door, the string on her heart pulling tighter with each step he took. "Will you be here when I wake up?" He turned to look at her, the hurt evident on his face. "I mean here, at the apartment. You're staying, aren't you?"

His hurt faded into a smile, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm never leaving you again."

He shut the door behind him. He had told her he wasn't leaving several times before now. But this was the first time she believed it. She let her body slip down further into the covers, butterflies now filling her stomach.

'Hello, old friends.' Was her last thoughts as exhaustion removed any other possibility of more.

vVv

When she woke again, the light was coming in weak beams through the shades of her window. Sitting up, she felt as if she'd been asleep for days, her muscles stiff from lack of movement. But her chest felt much better, and there were no longer visible signs of her fall from grace, her bruises and cuts gone without a trace. With a bit of a limp, she stood and went to her dresser, pulling out whatever was on top, a ratty old t-shirt faded and worn at the hems. It was one of her "working' shirts for when she was working out, cleaning, or doing anything that she wouldn't want to risk wearing anything else for fear it would get ruined.

As she pulled it over her shoulders and down over her bandage, she heard laughter ring out from beyond her door. A welcoming sound as she stiffly made her way out of the small dark prison that was her room.

Temporarily blinded, she shielded her eyes to receive more laughter. "Ah, so she is alive after all. We were beginning to wonder."

She looked over at the voice, finding Lita behind it. "Are we already at the joking part of my near-death experience?"

Raye frowned, but Andrew popped up with a pan from the island. "Yep. If you insist on having so many, we're just going to have to find the humor in it."

She looked around for a certain dark-haired man, but didn't see him, "Where's Darien?"

"I'm right here." Appearing out of nowhere, having been up in the loft, he put a reassuring hand on the small of her back.

Tearing her eyes away from his, she continued her search for the missing members of their team, "Ami and Mina?"

Raye sat at the island in one of the stools, "Ami is doing some research, she borrowed your ID for the library at your school. Hope you don't mind. Mina's still on the road with your family. She says they're all safe and looking forward to hearing from you."

Wrapping an arm around her waist, Darien gently pushed/carried her towards the island to sit, "What did she tell them?"

"That you had a crazy stalker bent on making your life miserable. That you were under police protection but would feel better if they were safely out of town."

Darien helped her up on the stool, which she took without protest. "And they believed her."

Raye shrugged, "You know Mina, always the actress. You need to call them later."

Darien stood next to her, barely an inch away with his hand resting on the back of her chair. His closeness sent overwhelming warmth through her and stirred up the butterflies in her stomach again. His thumb barely touching her back, but she could still feel it, soon began wiggling against her, rubbing in gentle circles that sent shivers down her spine. But she didn't pull away, and he didn't stop.

Lita was eyeing the two of them closely as if she too sensed the change. But it wasn't like they were being subtle about it or trying to hide it exactly. She set a plate in front of her just as Amy walked in through the front door. She wasn't sure what Amy had been looking for, but the look on her face told that she didn't find it.

Food was piled on her plate, more than she could ever hope to eat in a lifetime. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, all the breakfast classics of an American home. She twerked an eyebrow over at Lita who shrugged.

"I'm practicing my American cuisine."

Her plate looked like an IHOP commercial. But it seemed as though every eye was on her expectantly. She picked at it, the different flavors mixing in her mouth, oddly complementing one another.

Feeling like an attraction at the fair, she looked around for anything to distract her audience off of her. She saw that the glass had been replaced in the doors and had found her opportunity.

Pointing with her thumb, she asked, "How pissed was the super about that?"

"Oh he wanted to kick us out," Raye huffed, "but once I reminded him of the legal repercussions of breaking an agreement like a lease and the added lawsuit of having insufficient safety precautions like double pane glass on a high-level floor, he backed down."

She nearly choked on her bacon, "You didn't!"

Raye beamed, "It's good to have a pre-law friend, isn't it?"

She managed to eat half of the food on her plate before she gave up. There was no more room in any part of her body for anymore. She sat back, finding Darien's hand still on the back of her chair even after taking a seat next to her. He returned to his original affections of softly rubbing her back while he sipped on coffee. She leaned into it, begging for him to continue and further his touch. Just as he obliged, placing his palm on her back causing heat to run wild through her, Lita grabbed up her plate.

"Maybe you should take a shower, Serena. No offense but you look a little gross."

Suddenly very aware of her looks, she pulled away from Darien, realizing how very much she did not want him to see her like this. To everyone's surprise, she hopped off the stool only receiving the smallest sting in response and causing everyone to suck in a lungful of air. Darien's hand still sat on the back of her chair blocking her in. He was watching her intently, looking for any signs of weakness or pain, but all she could think about was how haggard she must have looked.

Her hair unwashed in days and dried blood and mud covering her head to toe, who knows what else, all she wanted to do was shrink under his gaze and disappear. He soon released her, and she raced to the bathroom. Amy followed in behind her, helping her out of her bandages and checking her chest wound.

"It looks pretty good Serena. I can't believe how fast it has healed. I would love a sample of your blood sometime, you know, to study."

Same old Amy. "Yeah sure...later."

Amy blushed at her hastiness and left her to her shower. It took a while to scrub off all the blood, it had really caked onto her, especially her hair. Her skin was pink from all the harsh scrubbing, but she finally got it all off. She wrapped her towel around herself tight and grabbed the mess of clothes and gauze off the floor.

When she peeked her head out, she saw that everyone was busy chatting away in the kitchen. Cursing herself for not grabbing some clothes before running in haste to the bathroom, she now faced the embarrassment of sneaking across the living room to her room in her wet towel.

She lowered herself as much as she could, folding her chest into her stomach and bending her knees. Taking one last glance before taking her chance, she saw that they are all still wrapped up in conversation, no one looking in her general direction. Her hair pretty much dragged the floor, leaving a trail of wet behind her. Stealth and speed that was her mantra as she skidded across the floor.

She was going to make it. She was going to make it just fine. What had she been so worr….

A whistle rang out, loud enough to alert the whole complex. "Hey there sexy thing, where have you been my whole life!"

She didn't dare look even as Lita catcalled her. Frozen, momentarily by embarrassment, she kept her eyes to the floor. She didn't need to look, she knew all eyes were currently on her, especially those of a certain dark blue that she only recently deemed worthy of her attention, and now she had all of his when she least wanted it.

Her hand finally grasped the handle to her room, but the catcalls were not over. "Hey, Serena, if you didn't want to give us a floor shoe, maybe bring some clothes with you next time. We have guest after all!" Raye made her entire body turn red with her words.

She couldn't get into her room fast enough. Oh, they would pay for this.

Safe in her room, she went to the solace that was now her dresser and closet. A bra would hit her chest wrong and rub against the sensitive skin that was still raw from healing. Opting for an old cami that was too small for her now, but had a built-in bra she hoped would help, she pulled it on with a bit of force. It squeezed tightly on her, holding her breast a bit better than she expected, but they looked and felt as though they might pop out at any moment.

To contrast the overly tight top, she pulled a loose jumper over it. The light green and blue flowers and thick straps reminded her of vintage '80s. The hem fell a bit short, upper thigh, but she felt the loose fit made it okay. She did hesitate when she noticed that the neckline dipped low, showing the neckline of the cami and the tops of her breast. It got lost in her thoughts as her finger traced the pink line that now remained from where a stake was in her chest. It almost lined up with the tiny scar she still had from her brush with a particular knife just three years ago. Proving just how close she came to death, a shiver running up her spine.

Looking in the mirror, she now questioned her hair, still wet and sticking to her still heated flesh. Feeling oddly nostalgic, she put it up in her old style, the two buns forming like magic in her hands as they went by muscle memory.

She questioned her choices when she stepped back out into the living room. All eyes were on her, staring. Raye started getting a bit, and she looked to see if her scars were showing that badly.

With great caution, she walked over to the group, still gathered in the kitchen around the island. Looking from eye to eye, only lingering on the dark blue for a moment, she felt the need to cover herself head to toe.

She settled for covering her chest, trying to hide her scars. "Everything alright guys?"

Lita had tears burning in her eyes. "Everything is...just...perfect."

Andrew leaned over to her and squeezed one of her buns, "We are just happy to see you...back to normal."

Darien gently pressed her arms down away from her chest. And gave a gentle tug on one of her pigtails. Really? All this over hair?! Raye ran over to her and gave her a tight hug, no longer afraid of hurting her it seemed. Soon, Amy and Lita had joined, making it hard to breathe.

vVv

"You're putting me on house arrest?!"

He covered his ears as she shrieked, "It's not house arrest, it's protection! We can't risk the chance of Abel seeing that you are still alive."

Andrew joined him as they both stood over the angry blonde on the couch. "We should really consider getting her out of town."

He shot Andrew a thoughtful look, "That's not a bad idea actually."

She shot up from her once restful position and demeanor. "You are not shipping me off somewhere! You need me here to fight!"

"Oh ho no we don't," he gently pushed her back onto the couch, "Your fighting days are over Tex. You're done, stand down."

She crossed her arms over her chest, which only made it more difficult to think given the outfit she was wearing. He was pretty sure she wasn't even wearing a bra! Stop it, Darien, focus damnit. This was so much easier when she couldn't stand him, but all day she had been giving him looks and little touches. And he had been given them back, which she was only too happy to accept.

He leaned over, making her uncross her arms. "Stop that."

It didn't go unnoticed by her, or Andrew for that matter who was giving him a 'sly dog' look that only put his nerves on edge more. She got the hint, and her gaze turned to that of pure evil as she slowly re-crossed her arms and then stood up, putting herself millimeters from him.

Releasing only one arm, leaving the other to continue to push her breast in his face, she trailed two fingers up his chest, walking them up like little legs, until she rested her palm over his heart, no doubt checking his pulse.

"You don't really want to send me away, do you?"

His mouth went dry, he looked at Andrew for help, but he just held his hands up in defeat and walked away. He was on his own.

"Of course I don't WANT to, but we need to Serena, for your own safety."

She gave him puppy dog eyes and stuck out her lip, "But...I thought you said you wouldn't leave me again."

He shrugged her off, running a hand through his hair, a nervous/frustrated habit. Who was this person? When did Serena learn to do that?!

"What happened to the girl who, only a few hours ago, was embarrassed to be seen in a towel?!"

Her cheeks turned red as his reminder of the moment, causing her to falter for only a second before continuing her assault on his reserve.

Not having his chest to rest it on, her arm went back to help the other one. "That was different. I was naked...and wet…"

He could see where this was going, "Okay, okay I get it!"

She stalked over to him, her eyes locking him to his spot. "Please don't send me away Darien, I would be so lonely."

She was playing dirty, and she came to play. Her eyes still on his, she bit her lip, and he lost all the remaining strength he had.

"Alright, you can stay here. But you are still on house arrest!"

She jumped up, kissing his cheek before prancing off victorious. He looked at the others, to see if they could see what he saw. The look in their eyes told him they did. It was as if that stake through the heart had killed the Serena that he had returned to and awakened the one he knew before he left. The light-hearted, sweet, kind, and forgiving Serena was the one who woke up in that bed this morning, having shrugged off the dark and dismissive one he had come to know these past weeks. He had only suffered it for a month, whereas the rest of the room, Amy excluded, had had to deal with it for years.

Serena was still bouncing as she made her way to Lita who was, again, in the kitchen, giving her a fist bump as she continued her victory lap. Lita looked over at him with a smile, "Taught her that."

By the look she was giving him, he knew she didn't mean the fist bump.

A little later, Serena called her parents. He caught bits and pieces of the conversation, beginning with a lot of calming down her parents and a bit of arguing with Shingo. It soon turned to a lighter discussion, her laugh ringing out like a bell from time to time.

Now it was late. The moon shone brightly outside, marred by the occasional cloud threatening a storm. Everyone was slowly retiring to their rooms till soon it was just him and her.

She sat on the couch, her legs tucked under and to the side while her upper body rested on the arm of the sofa, her head leaning on the elbow that held her up. In her free hand, she held a small paperback, deeply engrossed in its contents. He stood by the balcony window, watching her for a long time. Until she sighed and dropped the book to her lap.

"I can't concentrate on the words with you over there staring."

He didn't realize he been so obvious. She looked over at him, faked annoyance on her beautiful face. She slapped the empty seat next to her and he wordlessly obliged.

She turned her body, facing him. He left a respectable space between them when he sat, and he almost thought he saw the disappointment on her face.

But it was fleeting if it were true, her face turning into a smile, "So what does your Uncle think about you spending so much time here? That man does not like me, I don't know if you've noticed."

He felt the color drain from his face. He had forgotten to tell her. The others knew, given his outburst when she had been taken. But with everything that had happened, it didn't seem to make sense to say anything about it. And he had barely had time to mourn. How would Serena take the news? She wasn't too fond of his Uncle, but she had a close relationship with his Aunt. A very close relationship, the bond of student and master was one of amazing loyalty and trust.

She saw the look on his face, knowing it all too well, she just..read his mind, "When?"

"Right before he took you."

Tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to fall any second now. "How...how did it happen?"

"You don't want to know.."

"Please…"

He saw the tears shining in her big blue eyes, and he caved yet again, she was his only weakness, "Abel turned Michael and Michael...killed Diana. I killed Michael."

In a blur of colors, she grabbed him, holding onto his neck, hugging his face to her chest, "I'm so sorry Darien."

For the first and only time, he let a few tears slip out for his fallen family, the last of his bloodline. Now it was all up to him. She pulled away, looking at his face with her own tears slowly falling down her rosy cheeks. He wiped hers, and she wiped his, neither breaking the embrace, her hands resting on either side of his neck while his where on her hips.

"I guess it's just me now. The last of the Van Helsings."

She tightened her grip slightly, "You are not alone."

The tears that she was yet to shed glittered in her eyes like diamonds and he felt the undeniable pull of their heartstring. She had settled herself halfway on his lap, not wanting to fully overtake him. But his mind was already getting hazy, the nearness of her working as a drug on his senses.

"I have never been alone, I've always had you."

She was not shocked by his words, it was true, she had always been his. His family, his friend, his love. He had spent the past month chasing two ghosts, Abel and the girl he had always loved. While Abel was still out of his reach, at least she had returned to him.

For the first time in five years...no longer, she kissed him.

vVv

Lightning flashed, lighting up her room for a few seconds, chasing away the darkness as they stood staring at one another. She had kissed him, on the couch, half climbing and half pulled fully onto his lap. His arms wrapped around her possessively, pulling her deep into his embrace. She responded in kind, wrapping her arms around his neck pulling him in deeper to her mouth.

He strayed, pulling his mouth from her lips and traveled down her neck and shoulders, releasing her for a moment to push the strap of her jumper out of his way. She laid back into his arms, giving him full access. When he returned to her mouth, she allowed his tongue entrance, sending delicious tingles up and down her spine.

This was how it was supposed to feel. How a kiss and touches were supposed to feel. Her heart overflowing with her love for him as he laid affection after affection on her. It was wanted, no needed. She needed him, and he needed her. This was what love felt like.

She had pulled away completely, wanting more than the couch and their position would allow, standing and pulling him up with her.

Now they stood in her room. She had brought them both here, and now they were standing before one another, still out of breath from their heated moment on the couch. However, her breathing was shallow out of nerves.

The room lit up again, and thunder roared in the distance as if to push them together. She let her hand trail up his arm, feeling his skin before meeting the sleeve of his shirt and traveling up to his neck. He grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could go any further. She was surprised and hurt until he wrenched her hand, pulling her completely into his embrace. His mouth found hers in an instant, and the two of them continued where they left off on the couch.

He lowered them to her bed, him laying on top of her. Her knee coiled upon instinct, and his hand left her hips to greet it. Sliding his big, warm hand down her thigh until it returned to its original spot on her hip. Only this time it was under the fabric, not over it.

She pushed him up gently and removed her jumper with his help. Now she laid under him in nothing but the extra tight cami and some cloth panties. She silently cursed for not putting on something a little sexier, but it wasn't like she was expecting this.

Her hands roamed his body, finding their way under his shirt to the hot flesh that lay beneath. Understanding her desire, he pulled his shirt over his head in one swift movement. Now her skin was touching his, at least, most of her skin was. She felt around, looking for her next target until she found it, the clasp on his pants. She fumbled with it for what seemed like an embarrassing amount of time. Truly showing her virginal inadequacies. But soon his hand found hers, pushing it aside to undo it for her. She then made quick work of shoving his pants off with her feet.

All the while his hot kisses were melting her body and soul. He left her mouth again, searching her neck with his mouth. She arched off of the bed as his hands found her breast, massaging them through the fabric.

He tried to slip his hand underneath but it was no good, the top was too tight. He laughed and pulled away to look at her face.

"Is this your idea of a chastity belt?"

She flushed in embarrassment. Then tried to remove it for him, but in her heated and embarrassed state, she was struggling with it. He pushed her back to the bed and with his hands, ripped it off of her like it was paper. She was finding it really hard to NOT be turned on right then already, but that just sent her completely over the edge.

His mouth continued its exploration of her flesh, now uninhibited by cloth. Her feet had a mind of their own, hooking a toe on either side of his boxers and pushing them with little struggle. Then he pulled away, standing up and off the bed. She had gone too far, and now he was pulling the plug.

But then he took her hand and gently pulled her up to him. He removed what was left of her top after he shredded it and slipped her panties off her hips and to the floor. She stepped out of them, and he guided her back to the bed, this time laying them correctly instead of hastily plopping across it.

Everything slowed down, he laid her down slowly with great care, and then he laid himself back on top of her just as slow. Her legs were spread, allowing him access but he didn't make any moves to claim her. Instead, he held himself up on his elbows, looking at her.

Both their breaths were ragged, and her buns now fell in a mess as they slipped out of their hold on her head. He brushed some hair out of her face, his hand lingering on her cheek. Nervousness and anticipation were making her heart race with every touch, the lingering moments of her virginity as she laid underneath his thoughtful stare.

Another flash of light illuminated the two of them, together naked on top of her sheets. It was enough to make her head spin at the thought of how quickly their relationship had changed. But in reality, this was always who they were. She had tried to fight it out of fear, and he had wanted to get her to let go and give in. He told her it was for her own good, but she had been stubborn. Now as she wrapped all of her limbs around him, unwilling to ever let him go again, everything fell into place. This was always meant to be, the two of them together.

The thunder roared again, and he leaned in, ready to become one with her at long last. As his ear reached her mouth, she whispered one last thing to him before he changed who they were forever.

"I love you, Darien."

"I love you too, Serena."

It was an overwhelming feeling of being full and whole. Never had she felt empty or as if she was missing anything, until that moment. It was a realization deep in her bones, she had been missing this, him. The storm outside roared almost as loud as the two of them as she stretched around him, holding him tightly inside her.

He remained still, gaining control over both of them, and she grabbed his face and his attention. "You are my one…." His eyebrow twerked in curiosity, unclear if he was following her. "And I want you to be my only."

She watched as the smile formed on his lips before they crashed to hers, pulling back to look at her again. "And you are mine as well, forever."

Without a word or any kind of cue, they moved together in perfect rhythm, he would pull out, leaving only his tip in her entrance, and then thrust back in all while pushed her hips off the bed to meet him. Their movements were slow and tentative but calculated as if planned for years.

He was biting into her shoulder and she was digging her nails into his back, both leaving a mark on one another in their passion. Unbelievable heat covered her, she was burning up. Both of them were sweating, making it slick between them, the two of them letting their liquids mix in every way possible without care.

The tension inside began to coil, twisting and building in pressure. Darien's hands and mouth roamed all over her, an intoxicating mixture of touching, teasing, kissing, biting, licking, and sucking. He was doing all he could to distract himself, to last longer. For her.

The coil inside her was wounded tight, a rubber band about to snap. As much as she wanted this to last forever, she knew that neither she nor him, would make it much longer.

She had expected her end to be fast, a quick release of all the tension that now filled her entire body. But it wasn't.

Wave after wave of what can only be described as pure pleasure ran through her. Every thrust brought it on again, the wave that was crashing and numbing all other thoughts. She was trembling all over, the gravity of her orgasm sending her body into spasms under him. And he didn't stop, continuing to pump into her until the intense burst of energy seeped away, leaving her brainless.

He stilled for a moment, giving her forehead a kiss, before moving again, only for a few short moments as he groaned loudly in her ear. When he stilled again, he laid on top of her, just as still as she was.

vVv

Surely he was dreaming. All of it. Waking up in her bed only proved it, he was actually in a coma somewhere and he was having a long, realistic, hallucination.

Sun poured in around them but she was still motionless on the mattress next to him. The sheets stopping at her hips, she curled next to him, an arm the only thing covering her chest. Her hair falling out of its hold sometime during their escapade, it was spread out around her. He drank it all in, every second, breath, an inch of skin the sun illuminating all of it.

As he took in her form, his eyes landed on the two small marks that lay in between her breast. The first, a small, almost unnoticeable scar, a thin white line. Dangerously close to it sat another mark, larger and still pink and angry. He traced a finger down the both of them, a small reminder, forever, of how close they came….

He shook the thought from his head, continuing his memorization of her skin. He soon found the two matching scars on either of her shoulders, the marks even harder to see if you weren't looking.

She shifted, moaning and twisting till she was now laying on her stomach. Her hair now covering most of her like spun gold, he swept some of it to the side and off her back. He was able to easily find the spot where he had stabbed her, a pang of guilt washing over him at the sight of the still rather angry mark on her upper shoulder. He leaned over, placing a kiss on the spot.

His eyes were wandering over her lovely backside when he felt he was being watched. Looking back up, he saw two light blue eyes looking at him between strands of hair. Their eyes met, he was caught, but neither of them said anything, just watched one another's faces as the memories of the night before played over in their minds. He watched as a blush crept onto her lovely face. That only deepened when she realized they were both still in the buff.

He slid back down into the bed, scooping her up into his arms, her blush extending down her neck as he did. Pulling her in close, his body covering hers, he laughed as her body continued to redden.

"Good morning."

She averted her eyes, unable to bear his gaze, as she mumbled. "Good morning."

Her smile was wide and warm and contagious. "How are you feeling?"

Hands flew up to her face, trying to hide. "Fine."

He laughed at her antics, trying to look at her around her small hands. "Just fine?"

She nodded her head, keeping her hands planted over her face, he was trying to be on good behavior but her adorableness was making it difficult. His hand left her hip and he stroked her back, hoping to calm her down a bit. Her response was a small low moan that did not help matters.

"If you don't cut that out, I'm going to have to leave." His voice was low, a whisper but heavy with the desire that was growing inside of him again.

Her hands left her face, grabbing onto his instead. "I don't want you to go anywhere."

A whisper as well, but undeniably laced with wanting just like his. Her clear blue eyes looked to his as if begging him. He was suddenly very conscious of the warm body that he had pressed against his. Her leg lifted, skimming across his skin as it landed on his hip, wrapping delicately around him. It did him in.

His lips caught hers and she returned his passion tenfold. Her small hands drifted downward, over his chest and to his back, gently scratching up his shoulders down his spin, driving him mad.

He pushed himself on top of her, her back now on the mattress with her legs splayed around him. Tasting her skin again, he left her mouth and traveled down to the easily accessible flesh that laid before him. She moaned her pleas for him to continue. As he continued to lower himself, her hands left his back and dug into the top of his hair. Once he was satisfied, sure he had gotten every inch of skin, he went after the only place left.

Her hands gripped the sheets tightly and after a few moments, she could take no more of his teasing. But he wasn't going to make this like last night. Last night was slow and sweet as they discovered one another. It was completely satisfying. However, this morning, he had other plans. It would not end so quickly for either of them.

He pulled her legs up, putting them on his shoulders and started showing her exactly what he had in mind.

vVv

Either those two honestly didn't think the whole apartment could hear them or they didn't care. Whichever one it was, it was making her miss Andrew all the more that morning. He had left early, saying he had 'errands' to run before work. Whatever the hell that meant cause he didn't act like he was off to pick up his mail or anything.

Another loud moan came from Serena's bedroom clearly stating that the two of them were nowhere near done. Picking up her coffee, she plopped unceremoniously on the couch and turned the tv on, turning the volume up on high to block the sexcapades in the nearby room.

It hadn't been five minutes when Raye came stomping out of her room straight over to her, "Geez Lita, do you have to have that thing cranked up so loud?!"

Before she could say anything, Raye had swiped the remote from her hand. So she let her turn down the volume watching as confusion set in, then realization, embarrassment, and turning the volume back up.

Raye sat down next to her, "Oh my God."

"I know right?"

"I need a boyfriend."

"You know, I've been meaning to ask. Can you….?"

The look on her face implied the question to Raye, "Yes I can. There are legends that say I will be significantly weakened, that a large source of my power comes from my….. innocences."

"Man, talk about unfair! Why is it that women are always punished while men get to run around spreading their seed like we are going to run out?"

Raye shrugged, "It doesn't really matter. It's not like I'm that strong already."

Lita wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "What are you talking about? You are amazing Raye!"

"Yes, well, I still want some….new experiences."

"We will work on that. Till then, I'm going to make some," she paused, looking at the clock, "brunch. Probably should make something high in carbs for those two. They are going to need it!"

vVv

Getting dressed had been a challenge. Darien had no trouble, throwing on the black t-shirt and light colored jeans he had on the night before that had been left on the floor of her room. However, every time she would put something on, Darien would try to remove it. The only thing she had managed to get on was her underwear, his hands grabbing and touching whatever exposed flesh it could find.

"Okay, that's it, get out!"

He looked surprised but still had a dashing smile on his face. "You're kicking me out?"

She did her best to keep her face serious as she spoke. "I want to get dressed and you are making it impossible, so git!"

She pointed to the door for emphasis, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, kissing her lips and lowering to her neck. She was about to push him away when he released her and walked out. When the door closed, she leaned heavily against her dresser, feeling tingly all over. There was soreness in between her legs, a reminder of the night before...and that morning. She flushed at the memory, finding it hard once again to get to focus and get dressed. Even when he wasn't there he was hindering her.

A bra still sat uncomfortably on her chest, but Darien had destroyed her only other option besides going completely bra-less. As much as she figured he would enjoy that, she would not. She switched to a sports bra, it didn't rub against her angry pink wound but it did press her breast a bit on it, making it a bit uncomfortable, but not as much as the underwire that would be jamming into it otherwise.

She picked up a loose, racerback tank that was dark blue with a beach scene printed on it. The neckline and armholes stretched low, showing her gray bra beneath. Under that, she opted for a pair of light blue denim shorts. She tucked the front of her shirt in as otherwise, you wouldn't even know she had on pants given the length difference in the shirt and her shorts, and pulled her hair up into a mess on top of her head before emerging from her room.

Darien sat at the island, drinking coffee while Raye and Lita stood on the other side, leaning againstcountertopss across from one another. She walked over, standing next to Darien, who wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him.

Raye and Lita turned to greet her, pausing their conversation. "Good morning Serena."

"Good morning."

She stole a sip of Darien's coffee, regretting it in an instant as the bitter liquid burned her taste buds. Slipping out of his hold she went to work making her own cup, full of sugar and cream.

As soon as she rounding the island, she landed in enemy territory, Raye and Lita circling her.

"So….how did you sleep?" Lita asked with a strange look on her face.

She walked around the two with the cream back to her started cup. "Fine."

Darien huffed, his eyes never leaving his paper -that he stole from Raye- as he disapproved of the description she gave their night once again.

She returned the cream to the fridge while Raye and Lita looked at one another in conference. "She was never very good with subtle you know."

Lita shrugged, "I was going for polite."

They both turned back to her with smirks on their faces and Raye spoke first, "You know that those temporary walls do nothing to block out sound, from coming in….or out?"

Raye raised an eyebrow, questioning if she was following her drift and Lita nugged her with her elbow. "Now who's being subtle?"

Darien's chuckle escaped the paper he was hiding behind, not wanting to be apart of this strange conversation but clearly following it better than she was at the moment.

"Can you two stop being weird and just come out with it?"

Lita sighed, placing her hands on both of her shoulders. "We could hear you…."

When she still looked confused, Raye shouted out from behind Lita, "We know you two banged last night!"

"And this morning," Lita added.

She could feel the fire erupting on her face as she was sure she was now the shade of a tomato. Looking over to Darien for help, he still hid behind the damn paper. She wanted nothing more than to rip in from his hands and beat him with it.

Hiding her face behind her hands did nothing for her, she could still see Raye's and Lita's gloating faces.

Lita removed her hands from her shoulders and grabbed her wrist instead. "So was last night the first time."

"LITA!"

Her screech didn't deter them in the slightest. Amy came down from the loft yawning, "Rough night?" Raye asked.

Amy shot Serena a look. "Yeah someone kept me up all night."

Lita laughed, "All night?! Darien you dog!"

A grunt was all that was heard from him but it did little to stop Lita's investigation. "So come on Serena, spill. It was the first time right?"

She pulled away from her grasp. "How is that any of your business?!"

"Because it means I won the pool!"

Raye elbowed her hard causing Lita to grunt loudly, she eyed the both of them. "What the hell are you two up to?"

Amy sighed behind her, "Might as well tell her now, it's all over anyways."

"Amy!? You're involved in this too?"

The bluenette blushed while Lita spilled the beans, "We may have had...a little bet going."

She could feel her anger rising, hot into her throat. "A bet about what exactly?"

Darien lowered his paper slightly, eyeing Lita as she continued. "Well...we were betting when the two of you would…..get together."

"You WHAT!"

Raye pulled Lita out of immediate danger. "We knew it was only a matter of time before the two of you caved and slept together."

Lita held up a hand for a high five from her. "But my girl held out a whole month! I knew you would."

"I had three weeks."

She turned to Amy, "Not you too?"

She shrugged, blushing, and pointing at Raye. "Raye had two weeks!"

Raye gasped at being tattled on, "Well Andrew had a week! He really has no respect for the two of you."

Darien tried to hid behind his paper again, but this time she ripped it from his hands. "Did you know about this?"

He looked slightly offended, "Of course not!"

Raye waved her hands, distracting her from her death glare on stormy blue eyes. "He didn't have anything to do with it. It would have messed with the results, giving someone an unfair advantage."

Lita beamed, "Yeah and I just won $500," she turned her death stare onto Lita who quivered under it, "which I will be using for your...birthday present! Happy birthday!"

She seethed, mumbling death threats into her coffee. Darien glanced at the clock and finished off his coffee. He stood, gathering himself and heading towards the door.

She chased after him, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check out Abel's lair. See if he is still there."

"Are you kidding me? Your just going to go there, by yourself, like you are visiting a relative's house?!"

"No, I'm going to stop back at home, get some weapons and tools, and then careful survey the area."

"But it's dangerous. Let me go with you."

He stopped his exit and looked her straight in the face. "Absolutely not. I thought we covered this last night. You are not leaving this apartment and you are not fighting."

"But…"

His finger stopped her, landing on her mouth and then trailing down under her chin, "I will be fine. He is not going to be there anyways. He will have moved to a new place. I'm just going to look for clues to his new place or whatever else I can find. I have done this a hundred times, without Michael, I know what I'm doing. I'll be back tonight," he gave her a sweet but short kiss, "I promise."

vVv

It took three hours, taking care of the bodies, sifting through the mess, and finding his rock climbing gear, but he was finally on his way back to the 'nest'. That's what they called the place that Vampires slept. There was usually multiple Vampires in one nest, as they liked to group up for protection while at their most vulnerable.

He had climbed the front of the cave, where they had found Serena, and was now looking down the hole that she climbed up. There was no way she could have climbed this, not without some help.

Making quick work of the propelling gear, he was standing within the cave in no time. The sun was making its final stretch across the sky and he knew he needed to hurry up. He scanned the opening he now stood in, looking up and down the walls of the cavern. He saw blood on the wall heading upwards, a handprint that he had a feeling was Serena's. So she did climb out this way. But how?

He clicked on his flash light and followed the most likely path. Serena had told all of them bits and pieces of her escape, and he went off what little bit she had told them. Going over a wooden bridge he remembered her mentioning, he knew he must be getting close. How in the hell did Serena get all the way to that opening away from Abel.

He rounded the corner, coming to what he assumed was the 'bedroom' his eyes wide at the sight, "Shit."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

" _Logic is what the devil likes most."_

― _**Kelly Braffet**_ _,_ _ **Josie and Jack**_

The minutes clicked by so slowly she thought for sure she was going to lose her mind. He said he was going to be back tonight and now it was ten o'clock. He only had a few hours left to keep that promise.

Everyone was still up, the tension of waiting made them all restless. She had a book in her lap but had been working on the same page for almost an hour now. Frustrated, she threw it across the room, trying hard not to cry about her missing partner.

Andrew sat next to her, just as engrossed as she was in his book. "Why don't we all just take a breath and talk about something, anything."

"I hope Darien is okay."

"Anything but that."

She gave him a look, knowing he was right. They all needed a distraction. "Okay, how about we talk about the little BET you guys decided to have?"

Andrew blanched, looking at Lita, "You guys told her?"

She shrugged, "Whatever, I won."

"I seriously can't believe you guys. You were betting money on my personal business."

"It was all just in good fun Serena. We knew you two would get back together eventually. And after all those years apart, the two of you being adults now, I mean...it was inevitable."

There was a knock at the door, and they all sprang into action. Serena made it to the door first and opened it without looking.

"Mina?! What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's nice to see you too." She rolled her bag in with her as she passed by.

"Sorry I just meant….where's my family?"

She let go of her suitcase and dropped onto the couch, "Don't know. I pointed them in a direction and sent them on their way. That way I didn't know where they were. Didn't Raye tell you all of this?"

"Sorry, we were caught up in some other...things," Raye called from the back of the apartment.

"Well anyways, I didn't want to just run away, not with you guys fighting for your lives."

"I wish you would, I wish all of you would. I hate that you guys have your lives on the line again because of me."

Mina looked up at her, "Don't worry about it Serena, we love you. Of course, we will….."

She was looking her up and down inquisitively until a smile spread across her mouth, and she turned her head towards Lita. "Lita, you won?!"

Serena turned bright red once again, "Not you too Mina! And how the hell did you know?"

"Oh it's obvious, you've got that glow. Plus you're walking a little funny; telltale sign."

Everything burned from the heat of her blush, it felt as if it covered her entire body. Breaking her out of her misery and everyone else's enjoyment, another knock came, this time at the balcony window.

Raye got to it first, opening the door, moving aside to allow Darien to enter. Her heart dropped, and everyone lost their shit when he stepped into the light. He was covered head to toe in blood.

vVv

He knew they would freak out. Anyone would really, that's why he'd taken the back way in. Not wanting anyone in their building to catch sight of him.

He did his best to calm them quickly, especially the blonde that was hyperventilating on her way over to him. "It's not my blood….well most of it's not."

He couldn't say he'd had a 'flawless victory,' one of the beasts had scratched his forearm, trying to stop his fist from going through its chest. The adrenaline of battle had long worn off, and the effect of fighting roughly 20 undead was hitting him hard.

"Was it Abel?" Raye asked.

"No, he was long gone. Just as I figured. But he left behind a horde of his faithful undead. A trap for anyone who came looking for him."

Serena was trying to survey his body through the blood and guts that made it difficult. "Are you okay?"

He wanted to touch her, but not until he cleaned himself up. "I'm fine. Just a scratch. The rest isn't mine."

But he was tired, fighting two or even five demons was the most he'd ever done at once. He'd never had to expel so much energy at once, and part of him was worried that wearing him out was part of Abel's plan. He'd seen no other signs of the bastard, but that didn't mean he wasn't lurking around, waiting for him to not be at his best.

"What happened?"

He turned to Andrew, only half looking. "I fought, they died, I stopped counting at 12."

A small, warm hand took his, and the rest of them disappeared from his mind. He vaguely heard someone say, "Let's let him get some rest," and, "I think Serena has him covered," as the small blonde angel led him away to the bathroom.

He didn't bother with clothes, laying down on the bed with the towel still wrapped around his waist. He heard Serena enter the room before the back of his eyelids claimed his vision.

When he woke, he wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but it was still dark outside. Rapidly searching the room, he saw Serena wasn't in it. Next to him laid a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. More of Andrew's clothes. He slipped them on as he widened his search, feeling frantic when he didn't find her right away. But then he spotted her.

She was standing on the balcony, bathed in moonlight. Her hair flowed to the ground behind her, giving only peeks at her arms and legs, bare from the long white tank she wore that stopped at her thighs.

Leaning up against the railing, her attention was completely engrossed in the sky above.

"You shouldn't be out here."

He'd expected to startle her, but instead, she turned, smiling as if she expected him. "I just needed some fresh air."

He grabbed her hand, pulled her inside and locked the door behind them. After looking around, to make sure no one had been watching her, he pulled her into his arms. He planted his head in her neck, nuzzling her soft flesh with his nose and mouth, enjoying the giggle that erupted from her chest.

"We have a problem, Darien."

He didn't stop his attack, "Don't worry, I'll have it fixed in a bit. Just give me an hour."

She pushed him away, suddenly very serious. "Neither of us wants the other to risk their lives again, but we are not able to stop it."

"Speaking of risking one's life, I think you left out some important details about your escape."

She took a step back, "What do you mean?"

He furrowed his brow at her, "I think you know exactly what I mean. You said you escaped Abel with a distraction, but you didn't say what. Then you said you climbed out of the cave and ended up above where we found you, on the ledge. But what you failed to mention was that climb was a good 20 ft of steep, slick rock," she had a guilty look on her face now, "so tell me again, just how exactly did you escape?"

She turned away from him, unable to look at him. "I went Vamp."

"Serena! How could you be so careless? What if you'd lost control? What if Abel had taken advantage of you in that state? You would have been his puppet for all eternity!"

"I had no choice! He was going to make me his puppet anyways!"

Tears were streaming down her face; she'd been so scared. He pulled her back to him, hushing her as he wiped away her tears.

"Tell me what happened. All of it."

She sniffled, "He had me...in his bed," she spat it out like bad milk, "and so I dug deep and went Vamp on him. I snapped his neck and ran. I came to the opening and jumped out. But he caught up to me. I didn't have anything to put him down with for good, so I just ran and left him there knowing he could revive at any moment. But he had something to put me down with...well you saw it. It was in my chest before I even knew what happened. I fell and then the next thing I remember was waking up here. I must have reverted back to human when I passed out."

"And you maintained control the entire time?"

"Yes...I mean, I think so. I think my Vampire side hates Abel just as much as I do. Especially now that he tried to kill us."

He sighed, "Well I'd rather not find out."

She pushed him away again, crystal blue eyes boring into his. "But Darien, you need me. I could help you…"

"No."

"Darien."

"Serena, I'm a Hunter. It's in my blood, and it's what keeps me alive. Your blood wants you to be dead, to control you and turn you into a monster."

The hurt was clear on her face. "So that's what you think? Deep down, I'm just a monster?!"

"No..no that's not what I…"

"Well this monster took care of herself and all her friends for years without you, remember?"

"I have a feeling you won't be letting me forget."

"That's right Darien Shields Van Helsing, I will never let you forget. For the rest of your life."

He swept her up in his arms, causing her to gasp. "I can live with that."

He lifted her off the ground and up to his waiting mouth, wanting to kiss her so hard she forgot what they were talking about. And at first, it seemed to be working. Her hands wrapped around his neck, digging her little fingers into his hair. Meanwhile, he moved his hands down to her rear end, causing her legs to split and wrap around him. He was enjoying the feel of her plump rump in his hands when she pulled away roughly.

"Helsing, we are not done talking about this," she said through gritted teeth, although he wasn't sure if it was in anger or tamed lust.

"I am." He busied himself placing love bites on her neck and collarbone.

She pushed upwards on his shoulders, unlocking her legs from his waist and effectively breaking the good hold he had on her. She quickly distanced herself from him, not noticing that their little dance had pushed her tight shirt further up her legs, almost giving him a full view of her panties.

She noticed his eyes and to his dismay, pulled her shirt back down, a frown on her face. "You can't 'sex' your way out of this."

"Can't I?"

The look in her eyes told him he could, but the distance she was putting between him told him otherwise. "You need me…."

"Yes, we agree on that…"

"...On the battlefield!"

"Nope. Not going to happen," he pulled his shirt up over his head and threw it to the side.

He noticed her wobble a bit at the sight of him, having the exact effect he was hoping for, but she had yet to falter. "You can't at least tell me you will think about it?"

"You want me to lie?" He took a step closer, and she took a step backwards.

"No, I want you to think about it. You will need my help taking down Abel, and you know it."

He took another step, and she countered again. "I need him to keep thinking you are dead and you to stay out of the way. Don't you realize how much of a distraction you would be to me out there?"

"Do you realize how much of a distraction I would be to Abel out there?"

He could see this was going nowhere and more than anything he wanted it to go to the bedroom. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, and he could see the glint in her eyes as she knew he was going to fold.

"I will...think about it, okay? But no promises!"

"Okay!"

She leapt into his arms, resuming the position she had just pushed her way out of seconds ago. He slid his hands up under the cloth of her shirt, surprised to find her bare underneath. She was wearing a thong!

He couldn't handle it anymore, he swiftly carried them both to her room.

He threw her on the bed playfully, and she giggled as she bounced. Sitting up, he pulled her sleep shirt over her head, leaving her in nothing but a white thong. She laid back on the bed, waiting for him.

"God, you're beautiful. Are you sure I'm worthy of you?"

"I'll let you know."

She held her hand out to him, inviting him to join her, and he took it happily. He was pleased as punch when she flipped them over, putting herself on top. Straddling him, her hips doing dangerous things to him, her mouth traveled down. Then she pushed his boxers off, with a little help from him. Leaving nothing but the thin material of her thong between them.

Her wiggling on top of him was driving him crazy, the heat between them only growing. When he could take no more, he reached up and ripped them off of her, tearing them to ribbons in the process. Her mouth opened wide in shock, and he flipped them over and dove himself into her. His mouth covered hers to muffle what would have been a very loud moan, borderline scream.

He continued putting love bites all over her while she stuck her fist in her mouth. Clearly not forgetting about her embarrassment from that morning. She flipped them again, landing them on the floor, his back smacking with a loud thud. But they didn't stop. Not even for a second. She arched her back and his eyes blurred with euphoria.

vVv

They were still on the floor, wrapped up in each other's embrace, a tangle of limbs and sheets. He was absentmindedly stroking her thigh as it rested on his stomach, his other arm around her back while she rested her head on his chest. She twisted her head, propping her chin up on his chest and looking at his face.

"Are you going to destroy every piece of clothing you have a minor disagreement with?"

"Only the ones that get in my way."

"I would have taken them off. I'm going to have nothing left at this point."

"I wouldn't mind."

She huffed, "You will when I walk around naked."

He looked down at her, lifting his head off the floor for a second to do so. "You're right. I would not like that at all."

"I think we did a good job, keeping it down this time."

He chuckled, causing her to bounce with his chest, "The night is still young."

"Maybe we should wait until we have a more private place to do this."

He rolled over, putting her beneath him. "I can't wait that long."

His mouth and hands were roaming her body again, sending electric tingles through her. "Darien."

She meant it as more of a warning, but it came out as a moan, which sent him even further over the edge. "Don't worry about them. They already know what we're doing in here. Besides, they're going to know tomorrow, regardless."

His mouth found her sensitive spots, causing her to miss what he'd said. "What?" she managed through her haze.

But he just laughed, not repeating himself as he repeated their earlier passions but with many, MANY variations.

At some point in the night, they'd made it back on top of her bed. She woke with a small start like she'd just dreamed that she was tripping and had reacted as if it were real, trying to catch herself. Darien's head rested on her chest, his arms wrapped around her as he snuggled up to her, a leg thrown over hers, officially trapping her in place.

It was still night, and shadows stretched across her dark room. One shadow caught her attention, not quite looking right in the small space. She couldn't figure out what in her room would make it, it stood tall and thin, resembling nothing she owned. It flinched under her stare, and she shuddered, to her horror, as it began to move. It cracked and popped as it moved slowly closer, yet to reveal itself, daring to do so at a painfully slow pace.

She shook Darien, trying to wake him but he wouldn't budge. Pushing on the bed, attempting to slide out from under him, her hands went to the sheets next to her and found something warm and wet. Pulling away, she saw her hands covered in thick dark liquid that looked black in the dark. Looking down, she found her bed was covered in blood.

She flipped Darien over, his face was hidden from her as he laid with the back of his head facing her. His body limp and his eyes lifeless, she found the long dark line that went deeply through his throat. His body began to quake and wiggle on top of her. Looking down, she saw two Pontianaks pulling at his inners, splayed out on the bed and floor, eating as if it were nothing.

Tears blurred her vision, in shock, her mouth hung open. She could barely register that the shadow she had been transfixed with was now on top of her, standing inches from her face.

"Someone's been naughty. I told you, no one else can have you. Especially, a Van Helsing."

Abel's voice rang in her ears as he said Van Helsing with complete disgust, making her shiver. His cold grip found her shoulder, but as he went to pull her, she wrenched herself awake, alone in her bed. The sun was streaming heavily into her room. Her sheets and bed were clean, no blood, nobody. Her skin felt clammy still completely nude from the night before, and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable, like she was being watched.

Pulling on what remained of her clothes from last night, she pulled on a robe, tying it tightly to herself. She needed to see Darien, the image of him dead too fresh in her mind to ignore.

It was still early when she left her room post haste, but she was still the last to rise, finding a full house sitting around the handicapped dining room table. There was a small banquet in the middle of the table, bread, fruits and cheese. Everyone held cups filled with liquids of varying shades of brown and black, each of them having a preference for their coffee. The girls clumped together at one end, talking lively over their forgotten plates. While Darien and Andrew sat at the other end, more somber, chuckling every now and then in turns as conversing.

Not caring what kind of fuss the others would make, she went straight to him, sitting in his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. He was quick to return her embrace, encircling her waist, but not squeezing her as tight as she was now.

"Serena, I do need to breathe at some point…."

She loosened her hold but didn't let go, hearing voices still chatting away around them. She pulled back, facing him and his inquisitive stare. "What's wrong?"

Serena shook her head, trying to rid him of his concern and her tears that were threatening to fall. "Just a bad dream, that's all."

He pulled her back into him, nuzzling her neck with one hand on her waist, holding her to him, the other on her thigh, massaging it gently. She let her fingers twirl in his hair, giggling as his breath and kisses tickled her.

"Come on guys, it's bad enough we have to hear you all night."

She pulled away from his attention, turning to see Raye rolling her eyes. Lita and Mina had gooey looks on their faces, happy for her and her romance. While Amy was staring at her coffee, cheeks rosy in embarrassment. Andrew was busy trying not to look proud.

Darien chuckled, his chest jumping underneath her, placing his mouth right at her ear as he spoke, his voice husky as he whispered. "Guess we should get our own place."

She blushed, the idea of the two of them in a place of their own, it was a dream she never thought would come true. She gave it up years ago, him not even being in the same country as her had that effect on a girl and her imagination. Suddenly her mind was filled with possibility again.

He gave her a squeeze, before releasing her. She flew out of his lap, needing to calm herself from his embrace and his words. Serena had just wrapped her mind around the idea of him not leaving again, now he was talking about moving in together. It both thrilled and frightened her.

She stood in the kitchen, a silent observer. Holding her hot, fresh cup of coffee, the group resumed getting over her interruption quickly. She leaned over the island, its wooden top textured by the knife cuts and slices across it from years of use. The light colored bamboo was almost yellow, causing her pale skin to stand out against it.

"By the way Serena, you might want to consider some foundation."

Looking back up, she found Mina staring at her and pointing to her own neck in reference. Lita chuckled in response, "Yeah you got a little bit of….actually a lot of hickeys there, hun."

Her face began to melt off and onto the counter, and she glared over at Darien, all the warm fuzzies she had for him seconds ago vanishing. "Told you they would know."

He felt nothing from the shade she was giving him, having the audacity to wink and grin at her.

It wasn't long before the group was splitting up, going on about their day. Mina and Lita were staying home with her, to keep her company and to make sure she didn't go anywhere. Before heading off to the temple, Raye put up another protection spell, one that she said was more to mask her energy than to keep anyone out. Andrew headed off to work while Amy made her way to the library, looking to do some research. Darien left as well, off to hunt for Abel or any of his underlings.

She was certain he'd moved on, and after a week and a half of the same, she was sure of it. Darien left late morning and would return in the evening. Lita and Mina switched babysitting role with Amy and Raye, but every day there were at least two people there "keeping her company." She was about to lose her mind.

It had been so long, too long since she'd felt the sun on her skin or breathed in fresh air. She was literally running up the walls, and Lita was about to kill her for it.

After three weeks, she was sure she was going to lose her mind.

"I've got to get out of here."

"I know it's rough Serena, but it really is for your own good."

"Oh come on Mina, I know you're sick of babysitting me. Let's be bad, break the rules and get the hell out of here!"

Amy walked over to their place on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. "I don't think that would be wise."

"Oh come on! Abel is long gone, he thinks he killed me!"

"I'm more worried about Darien at this point," Amy said with a shake of her head.

She swatted her hand in the air towards her. "Oh, he'll get over it. Come on! We're young! We're not meant to spend our lives cooped up like this!" she turned with an evil, mischievous glint at Mina, "We could go daaaancing?!"

Mina's resolve was quickly fading; she knew her weaknesses. Mina was a fun loving girl, and Serena knew she could talk her into taking her out.

With a slight nod of her head, she knew she'd won. Jumping up, she grabbed the first thing she felt was appropriate and threw it on quickly, not wanting to give Mina the chance to change her mind.

Apparently, Mina, had a similar thought, being dressed faster than she'd ever been known to. But Serena had a feeling it was more so they could have time to escape.

She turned, seeing that Amy was still in the same spot on the couch. "Are you not coming?"

Amy shook her head, "I do not approve of this debauchery and refuse to be a part of it."

With a sigh, she leaned over and gave Amy a kiss on the cheek. "We will be just a few blocks away, at Inferno. We won't stay long."

The bluenette gave a chuckle, "Inferno, huh? How appropriate."

She turned to leave, but Amy grabbed her wrist, gaining her attention once more. "Be careful, okay? And don't stay long."

"Yes, mom." She and Mina chorused out together.

The dim streetlight cast a sickly yellow around them. Mina had put on a silver glitter dress with black spaghetti straps and a short hemline. While she opted for dark jeans and a black halter top that all fit snuggly to her.

The bouncer didn't even say a word when they walked up, just lifted the red rope and ushered them in. It was so nice having Mina home, they always got the star treatment around her.

The night was in full swing inside, music blasting much louder than what should be legally allowed. It smelled of sweat and sweet, sticky drink mixes. The dance floor was full of bodies, grinding and pulsing with the beat as if under a trance. It was a themed club, an old school feel to it. The dance floor was made up of large, square-shaped lights that flashed and changed colors like what she'd seen in "Staying Alive." Over the bar was a swing that two drunk girls were currently swinging on, one in the lap of the other, straddling her. The crowd wailing at them as they swung back and forth.

Between the bar and the dance floor were a few booths and two dance poles up on rounded platforms. It was like a den of sin and sex.

Mina passed a brightly colored drink to her. In a small, clear plastic cup, it was hardly anything fancy. Mina held her cup towards her for a "clink" then the two of them downed it quickly. The sickly-sweet concoction burned all the way down. But it worked to release her of the few nerves she had budding up within her since they'd left the safety of her home.

Mina took her hand in hers, and they made their way to the dance floor, soon getting swept up in the fray.

vVv

He was beyond exhausted and frustrated. Three weeks of chasing down demons, which was harder to do now that it had been spread around that a Hunter was in town, and he'd come up empty. There was no sign or trail of Abel anywhere. Maybe he'd left, but that meant he still needed to track him down and kill him. He was going to slowly rip him to pieces for what he'd done to Michael, Diana and Serena. He was going to make him pay for all the pain he'd caused his family.

Pulling out his keys, the newly minted one Lita had made for him, shining against his duller, older keys, was like a beacon of promise. Soon he would be in bed with Serena, pulling her close to him, reminding himself of her continued safe existence…..and then they'd tear each other's clothes off.

The key scratched painfully as it turned with little effort. He was expecting to have Serena jump into his arms as she did every night when he came home, but instead, he was met with a nervous and guilty looking Amy, unable to meet his gaze as she sat on the couch.

The apartment was empty. It was just Amy.

"Where is she?"

"Darien, she just needed to get out for a bit, blow off some steam…."

"Where is she?!"

vVv

She didn't recognize any of the songs they played, one of the side effects of living in a sewer for five years, but it all had a good beat. Serena had loosened up from the drink and was having fun for the first time in a while. Of course, so was she.

She pulled her blonde friend in close to her, the two of them using one another as a partner. She knew the looks they were getting, lust, envy, and she loved it all. Maybe she could get some ass; finally, it had been way too long.

A pair of green eyes caught her attention, and she soon felt herself being pulled into them. She felt Serena pull her, grabbing after her. But with a quick smile and gesture, Serena saw what she was after and let her go.

Something in the back of her mind sent out warning bells, telling her that leaving Serena alone was a bad idea. She looked back, seeing Serena leave the dance floor and head back to the bar, a short distance from her and the man she was on the hunt for. A safe distance. And besides, they are in a crowded club, what could happen here?

vVv

Once a clear spot appeared, she latched onto the bar like her life depended on it. Letting most of her weight rest on the marble top, she waited for the bartender's attention. The bar top was solid black with large chips of mirrored silver sporadically placed.

Her reflection looked back at her from the smooth surface, which was interrupted when a drink appeared before her. It was a dark red, almost like blood. When she looked up questioningly at the bartender, he pointed to a man at the other end of the bar. The man was tall and thin. He was olive-toned, but his skin was still pale. His dark brown hair was cut like a bowl cut, messily falling around his forehead and ears.

As soon as her eyes met his, he gave her a nod and held up his glass in a toast before turning away and disappearing into the crowd. A strange gesture, buying her a drink and then wanting nothing from her.

She looked back at the dark drink before her. It even seemed thick like blood. A shiver went down her spine, her "spidey senses" tingling. Her eyes quickly searched the crowd, looking for any signs to confirm her fears. Anything that looked even remotely unearthly.

The flashing lights and loud music mixing with the smells and constantly moving bodies made it impossible for her to get her senses wrapped around anything.

Maybe coming out tonight wasn't such a good idea after all.

Her eyes did find Mina, her body was pressed against the green-eyed man she had motioned to her earlier. Mina had found her target and attacked. He was already putty in her hands.

She took another look at the drink before taking a small sip. It was really sweet, a dark cherry flavor. She thought she tasted rum in it, making it burn but still maintaining a sweet flavor. It was delicious, but given its looks, she couldn't manage to drink much of it.

Something crawled across the exposed skin on her back, causing her to turn quickly, the drink flying from her hands to the floor. No one was directly behind her and the only people paying her any attention were the ones who looked at her like she was crazy. Maybe she was crazy.

She left the bar, making quick work in finding the bathroom. It was only a little quieter inside and oddly empty. The stalls and walls were covered in graffiti and stickers from other bars. The sinks were deep, white porcelain showing the true age of the club. They reminded her of the sinks in the girl's bathroom at school. Stained with mildew and makeup, she leaned over one of them and splashed cold water on her face.

When she stood up and wiped her eyes clean, she found a pair of eyes staring into hers. Startled, she turned quickly, seeing a young woman standing a few steps away from her. The girl was easily 19 or so and had jet black hair that fell perfectly straight down to her knees. She wore a denim skirt and a black top that was ripped up in places making it more revealing than it started.

Her eyes stayed on Serena even as she flustered a bit. "Wow, you scared me."

"..."

"Okay, well I'm done so...it's all yours."

"...You shouldn't be here."

"..Excuse me?"

"You shouldn't be here!"

She held her hands up defensively as the girl took a step closer. "Chill lady, I was just about to leave." Her chill had returned with a vengeance, she needed to get away from this girl.

The girl stood right before her now, "He is going to kill you now, now that you have nothing to give him. You need to get out of here. Get far away!"

Her eyes widened in shock. "Who? Who is going to kill me? Abel? Did he send you?"

The girl huffed and stepped back from her, "He is going to find you, he always gets what he wants. No matter how far you run, he will find you, and he will bathe himself in your blood. He will be avenged for your betrayal."

"Betrayal? What the hell are you talking about? He is the one who kidnapped me, tried to rape me, and then tried to kill me!"

The woman just smirked, backing away towards the door. "You reek of the Hunter. If you had left him out of it, he might have lived. But now he will kill you both and make you watch."

Her mouth hit the floor. "Who the hell are you?"

The strange woman walked out the door. Serena chased after, but she was lost in the crowd. She was still shaking. Had she now cursed Darien along with her? Abel had cursed her blood long ago, and now she had damned Darien as well.

She stumbled her way through the crowd, finding Mina where she had left her. Upon seeing her, Mina abandoned her boy toy and grabbed a hold on her.

"Serena? What's wrong?"

She was still searching for the girl, "Did you see her?"

"See who? What are you talking about?"

"There was a girl, crazy long black hair. She knew. She knows Abel. We need to find her."

"Serena, you're scaring me."

Arms wrapped around her, thick and strong, causing her to scream. Spinning her around, her eyes were encased in angry dark blue storms. His black hair fell disheveled over his forehead, sweat glistening in the colored lights. He'd run here, enough to make him sweat in this hot night, but not enough to wind his Hunter body.

He was angry, but once he saw her face, his anger melted. "What's wrong."

"A girl, she knows Abel. She was just here, we have to find her."

"A girl?"

"Yes, my height, long black hair to her knees…"

Darien grabbed her, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried her away, Mina close on their heels. The music was still beating like a ghost in her ears when they made it to the street, the sticky heat warning of a storm nearby.

Darien was still carrying her when she'd had enough. "Darien put me down! We need to find that girl."

He didn't stop his hastened steps or twitch to release her. "Do you really think she stuck around for you to find her? That girl is long gone, Serena."

She went limp, he was right. There was no way the girl would stick around for either the Hunter or Abel to find her. Serena couldn't tell if the girl was friend or foe. She was trying to warn her but at the same time looking at her with disgust for being with Darien. And if she knew Abel, then she couldn't be trusted. She was probably off telling Abel that she had been spotted alive right now. She was such a fool, leaving the safety of the apartment, now her cover was blown, and any minute Abel would be swooping down on them to finish the job.

Even though it was a full house when they returned, no one said a word. Darien dropped her off in her room and shut the door as if to say she was grounded. She could hear a few murmurs outside her door, but nothing she could make out for sure.

Sitting on her bed, her strapless bra dug into her mercilessly, but she didn't move, feeling that she deserved the torture. Everyone was in danger once again because of her and her carelessness. And now Darien was a target as well, just because she loved him.

Unsure how long she'd spent sitting there alone in self-loathing, a need to see, feel, and hear Darien grew too great to bear. She slowly ventured out, wondering if there would be a guard at her door, but it stood empty.

Her eyes quickly found him, standing alone at the balcony doors, on watch. She silently made her approach, but he knew she was there. She could see it in his back as his muscles tensed before she touched him.

He didn't relax when she wrapped her arms around his waist, his body still in fight mode as he scanned the city for threats. That and he was mad at her.

Refusing to let go, she held on tight, her head resting against his back as she pressed her palms flat on his chest. He let out an angry sigh, one filled with frustration that she felt through his entire body.

When he relaxed a little after that, she felt a bit emboldened, "Come to bed." It came out as a whisper, but he heard it, she felt the shiver that ran through him at her words, heavy with need.

"I can't."

She pressed her nose into his back, breathing him in before she spoke again. "Yes, you can."

"No, I have to keep watch. Abel could come any time now."

This time she shivered, and she knew he felt it. "He would have already come if he was going to tonight."

He moved out of her embrace, going closer to the windows. "Or he is waiting until we all have our guard down again. Torturing us with waiting."

Missing his warmth already, she crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to make up for it. "Then aren't you just giving him what he wants?"

"No, because what he wants, is you." He turned, facing her finally and she could see the anger in his eyes.

They stood several steps away from one another, both with their arms crossed over their chests as if to grant no entry. When she could stand it no longer, she broke, releasing her arms and the breath she'd been holding, taking a step closer to him.

"Darien, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left the apartment…"

"You're damn right you shouldn't have. You willingly put yourself in danger. Once again."

"I didn't mean to. I just wanted to get out of this prison…"

"This prison was the only thing keeping you from being seen, being found by Abel and now…"

"I know! I know, I get it."

"Do you?! Do you get how reckless it was for you to go out? Just to have some 'fun'?"

The way he said fun made her feel like a teenager who'd just been caught smoking. "Yes, I get it. I put us all in danger again. But I can't change time Darien, I can't go back and fix it. All I can do is face it now, fix my mistake…."

"You won't be fixing anything. You'll be staying put. I'm going to figure out a safe house for you tomorrow, and you will be on the first plane out of here."

He was sending her away. The last thing she'd ever wanted. But she couldn't even fight him on it now, she had nothing to stand on. It was her own fault, gaining Abels attention once again. If she were away, far away maybe Abel would leave the rest of them alone. That would be her only solace, knowing that the rest of them were safe and away from harm.

She nodded her head, wordlessly, which seemed to crack Darien as she soon found herself wrapped up in his arms. "It will just be until we can find Abel and send him to hell where he belongs."

Returning his embrace, she wrapped her arms around his waist once again and looked up into his dark eyes, finding them a bundle of emotions. "If this is going to be my last night here for a while, don't you want to spend it with me?"

Without another word, he picked her up and carried them both to her room.

vVv

Dawn would be here any minute now. He sat up, his back against the headboard, keeping his wits about him even after the long night of passion that he'd just enjoyed. He glanced over at the sleeping form next to him, her back gently rising and falling with her steady breaths. She laid on her stomach, arms clutching the pillow under her head. The covers just barely covering her backside, the dip of her back and the crest of her perfectly rounded derriere still visible. He had the sheet over his lap as he sat, not caring in the least about his nakedness.

He was still on watch, never letting his guard down, which was difficult to maintain during their lovemaking, but he felt he had been able to keep some semblance of detection about him.

It didn't help that Serena had been insatiable last night, and he'd been more than willing to keep pace with her. He probably should have stopped, but he found himself unable to resist her need as it ignited his own. Hopefully, at least the memory of last night would be enough to keep the both of them warm at night until he was able to join her again.

He'd hoped to avoid this. He didn't want to send her away. He never wanted to be parted from her ever again. But now his hand was forced. He was going to send her to the compound, the place he'd spent his six months training with his Uncle. The last of the Van Helsing's strongholds.

The place was a fortress, and there were plenty of other Hunters on the grounds at all times. They weren't Van Helsing's, but they were still fairly strong. And now he was the boss in a sense, the last of his bloodline, the strongest of them all. If he told them to protect her, they would. Even if he didn't tell them to, it is part of their code to protect innocents with their lives. But he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

A soft moan escaped Serena's lips, drawing him from his thoughts just as she rolled over, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her head in his lap, An action that had him stirring once again. He could feel her smile against his skin. The little minx was doing it on purpose.

"You can't possibly have it in you to go again."

She placed a kiss on his thigh, only stirring him more. "Says the man who is growing before my very eyes."

He pulled her up from her place on the bed and into his lap. She, in turn, spread her legs, straddling him. Digging his hands into her hair at the base of her neck, he pulled her into him, covering her mouth with his. She moaned as his tongue found its way into her mouth. He could feel her heat rise against him, the heat matching his hardening.

Straying from her mouth, he made a trail down her neck, nipping and kissing the sensitive skin as he made his way down. She arched her back, giving him better access to his goal. He supported her with his hands on her back as she leaned further back until her breasts were up in his face. Allowing him to attack.

He gave her no mercy, removing one hand from her back to grab up a mound, squeezing and massaging as he continued to nip at the overheated flesh. He placed his mouth over her perked nipple, rolling his tongue around it over and over again, causing delicious shivers across her body.

She was wigging in his lap, rubbing against him in purposeful movements until he was completely erect once more. While he was continuing his pleasuring on her chest, she managed to wiggle her way into placing him right at her opening. She slipped him inside her in a slow motion, eliciting a deep moan from him and causing him to drop his focus from her flesh back to her face.

He wrapped both of his arms around her back, pulling her into him as close as possible, pushing himself in deeper till she was impaled up to his hilt. Her heat spread all over him, across his lap and stomach. They stayed like that for several minutes, just enjoying the building tension within themselves from the desire of release. He held her pressed to him, her breast pressed against his chest and her arms wrapped around his neck. His face in the crook of her neck, he kissed and sucked at her skin, breathing her scent in deeply as he went, making his way back up to her mouth. He tried to push all his passion into her, kissing her with a fierceness that he was sure would lite the bed on fire.

Her mouth still planted on his, she began to bounce, pulling him in and out of her in a tantalizing motion. Never straying far from him, it was just enough movement to build a fire between them even more. Suddenly, she pushed away from him, her hands landing on either side of his knees on the bed arching her back while keeping her hips planted to his. He grabbed her hips, helping her as she thrust him deep inside of her. The tension growing, quickly coming to an apex. He growled deep in his throat before throwing her off of him and onto the empty bed next to him.

She was alone for only a second, her face in shock from the abrupt change of position. But when he flipped over onto her, it soon changed to a smile, one that only drove him crazy even more. Missing her warmth in the small amount of time they had been apart, he quickly pushed himself inside again, watching her as she twisted in ecstasy. He lost himself, thrusting into her hard over and over again. She placed her hands on his butt, gripping them in encouragement of his movements while meeting them thrust for thrust. He felt her tighten, she was nearing her end. He slowed his movements as she came, making it last longer as he continued his heavy strokes into her. He watched as her eyes closed and her head fell backwards over the edge of the bed, a soft high pitched scream coming from her mouth as she was slowly released her orgasm.

When he was sure she was finished, he flipped her over, pulling her hips up from the bed and taking her from behind. He leaned over, draping himself over her back and grabbing up her breast in his hands as he made slow deep movements inside her. The heat within her began to rise again and placed kisses all over her back between her shoulder blades while he flicked a finger across her tender nipples.

She took a sharp inhale of air at his attention. Then she pushed herself up off the bed, forcing them both to sit up. Now she was in his lap again, this time facing away from him. Both of their knees bent as she rocked her hips back and forth. His hands were still on her breast, now helping her stay up as they both quickly made their way to a release. This time, they came together, hard. He felt his energy expand through him and flood into her as she shuddered on top of him, her head flopping back on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her ribs and lowered them back down to the bed, resting on their sides. Covered in sweat and panting, they laid in each other's arms. Serena twisted, turning to face him, placing her small hands on his chest and snuggling deep into his embrace. She felt so small in his arms, so fragile. He knew inside this tiny woman lived a big heart, one that had had too many close calls. Currently, it was beating wildly against his chest, feeling it through her flesh. This is how he wanted to remember her, warm and alive. The image of her any other way was too painful to imagine.

Her breathing changed and he knew she had fallen asleep. He was no stranger to pulling, and he was sure he would have many more in the near future, he would not rest until she was safe, able to return to his arms. This was the promise he made to himself and to the heavens above as the sun rose once more, removing the last dregs of darkness from the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks and all love to my Bae-ta **Beej88** , who has stuck by me with this fic.

And thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed. I really appreciate it. See you all again soon.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

" _Your angel cannot protect you against that which neither god nor the devil had made"_

― _**Cassandra Clare**_ _,_ _ **Clockwork Angel**_

.

She didn't even know where she was going until she had her ticket handed to her. Egmond aan Zee, Holland. She had seen a few references throughout the years spent in the library to know that it was a special place for Hunters, a training ground of sorts, and the birthplace of the Hunter bloodline. She was surprised such as establishment would allow the likes of her to enter.

The girls and Andrew said their goodbyes in the loft, as they were not allowed to know where she was going. Even the slightest hint could be dangerous for them.

"Before you leave, there is something I need to do...while we are all together.." Andrew spat out nervously.

His hands were shaking, and he was a bit pale, sweat glistening on his brow. They were all waiting, Serena, Darien, Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina for him to spit it out. His eyes landed on Lita, and he took her hand to pull her away from the little group to stand next to him. Now the couple stood before all of them on display.

Andrew rubbed the sweat off his hands on the front of his pants and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, shiny ring. Lita gasped, and her hands flew up to her mouth as Andrew crouched before her to get on one knee.

"Lita Kino, I love you. And I know you love me too. I truly believe that we belong together, body and soul. I want to make it official though. To let the world know that you are mine and I am yours. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my…."

"YES!"

Lita didn't even let him finish, she pounced on him and the ring, the both of them ending up on the floor. As she laid on top of him, she took the ring and slid it onto her finger before giving the gasping man a kiss.

The rest of them applauded until it got gross, then they just turned away.

She was happy for her friends, she really was. But they were moving on, and she was just moving away.

Lita found her once more before she let Darien take her out the door. "Now your leaving is finite. You have to be home for the wedding. I want you to be my maid of honor!"

The girls enclosed her in another group hug and then Darien was gently tugging her out of the door. She wasn't all that sure that she would return. This very well could be the last time she saw any of them again.

Darien was loading her luggage onto the checked bag section. It was surprising to her how much stuff she actually had and felt that she needed. But she knew nothing about where she was going when she was packing which forced her to over pack. She did manage to get it all into two bags and her backpack, but it felt as if she was never returning if you looked at the amount of luggage she had.

Turning, Darien looked her square in the eyes, commanding her attention. "I will come to get you as soon as this is all over."

She remained silent, not liking that he wasn't going with her one bit. More than anything, she wanted them to escape together. After all, Abel was after both of them now. The last thing she wanted was to be separated from him once again. At least this time, she was doing the leaving, even if it was him pushing her out the door.

Arms wrapped around her, bringing her out of her thoughts. "It won't be for long. Have some faith in my abilities, would you?"

He was smiling down on her, but she just couldn't find it in her to smile back. "You could just forget him and come with me."

He seemed thrown by her suggestion. "And leave this life, your life behind forever? Be on the run forever? Is that really the life you want for yourself?"

"Anything is better than being apart from you... again."

He frowned, "That does not sound like the Serena I know and love."

"The Serena you know and love has been through a lot. A lot of loss and a lot of pain. I am still the same person I was Darien, only I'm not selfish like I used to be."

"Selfish? Since when is it selfish to fight for what you want?"

"When it comes at the costs of what others want. Darien, come with me. Let's just run."

He lowered his eyes, looking at her hands in his. "I can't. Abel isn't going to stop, Serena. He needs to be put down, sent to hell where he belongs."

"That is just your Hunter blood talking, Darien. He's evaded death for centuries. All the way back to our ancestors, Serenity and Endymion. What am I supposed to do if he kills you?"

His eyes snapped back up to meet hers, "You're supposed to live Serena. You're supposed to go on without me and have a long happy life."

She huffed, "It might be long, but it won't be happy."

He released her hands, grabbed her shoulders, and let his hands slide down to her elbows. "You have so much more to live for than just me. You have family and friends…"

"I can't lose you again Darien. It will kill me."

"Then I will have to win, won't I?"

His cocky smile was doing nothing to her doubts. "Our ancestors were torn apart by him. Even they couldn't stop him."

His cocky smile faded. "Exactly, our ancestors were torn apart by him. They deserve some peace."

"Wouldn't they want us to be together? To live the life they wanted for themselves?"

"Do you honestly think they would want us living in fear? Always running? What kind of life is that, Serena? We would have no friends...no family…you may think you're okay with that kind of life, but I know you're not. You're a kind and loving person, Serena. You need to share that with as many people as you can. I know I would never be enough for you."

She gripped his face with her hands, placing them on either side. "You are enough for me."

Pulling him into her, she crushed her lips to his. His hands made their way up from her elbows until they landed on her shoulder blades on her back. It was a kiss that was filled with passion but also kept short, hoping to hear him change his mind and hop on the plane with her.

"And you're enough for me. You're more than enough. You're everything to me. Which is another reason why I need to end this."

"Then let me stay and help you."

His silence spoke volumes. It was no longer up for discussion. She was going, and he was staying. He would walk her as far as security and then say goodbye, just like the girls, no one was going to stop her from leaving or try to make her stay.

When they reached the metal detectors, he spun her around to him and pulled her into his embrace one last time for who knew how long. "I promise, we won't be apart for long. And if I can't find Abel and kill him soon, I will come for you, and we will run together. I've spent too much of my life away from you already."

He kissed her, to seal the deal. Another short graze that was not lacking in passion as she could feel his desire. Not for her, but for the promise. The promise that they would be together again soon. But she still feared it would not be soon enough.

He released too soon, but she had to go. Turning back one last time before she would disappear inside the airport, she found his blue eyes staring right back at hers. It was as if he was searing her into his brain, forever remembering what she looked like. She made sure to do the same for him, realizing too late that neither of them had a single picture of one another. Cursing herself, that would have been helpful at least at night, she made her way towards her flight's gate.

vVv

With Serena gone and out of the country, he hardly knew where he belonged, but the girls were kind enough to make him feel wanted in their home.

Not that he would be around much anyway, he'd be spending every waking hour and beyond, hunting. He was following the only lead he had, the Pontianak. They'd been what drew Serena out the first time and an unusual tie to Abel.

True Pontianak's were similar to Vampires, but they were still two entirely different creatures. Pontianak's were women who died during childbirth and returned as undead. No one really knew why it happened to some women while not to others. It seemed to have something to do with the woman's life before death. If they had been abused or betrayed by the father of their child.

Pontianaks liked to rip out the man's intestines, and if the victim was the man that had caused them to turn, they ripped off their man parts too. They were a vengeful creature, it is what fueled them. Whereas a Vampire did it out of need or lust. That alone made the two demons unlikely allies as it was nearly impossible to reason with anyone who is consumed with rage and vengeance.

And yet, somehow Abel had a bunch of them under his control. Or did he? Somehow he'd wrangled a large number of them. More than he'd ever seen or heard of in one place, and got them to attack that apartment complex. And based on the bodies he'd seen, none of them had been the Pontianaks' true target of rage. As all the men had remained….intact.

So how did he do it?

Darien couldn't help but feel that if he cracked this secret, he'd be able to track down Abel. Perhaps if he managed to track down a Pontianak and keep it alive long enough...or release it and follow it?

It was worth a try, but there were no guarantees in this plan. First, he had to find the demon he was searching for, and the only place to start was the apartment they had attacked.

vVv

He was in heaven. The woman he loved had said yes! Lita Kino was going to be his wife! The future Mrs. Furuhata. No matter how many times he told himself, he still couldn't believe it. He had little doubts about what her answer was going to be, but it was still an unknown until now. All he had to do now was not mess up, or die before they walked down the aisle.

Darien rustled with his pack around him as he sat on the couch and the sight of him caused his good mood to fade. How could he be happy while his best friend was so clearly suffering? It was obvious how much Darien missed Serena. It was easy to see how all of them missed her, but none as ferociously as Darien. The guy was rarely there, always out searching and hunting. It had been over a week now since Serena had left and the longer she was gone, the more urgent his work seemed to become.

He peered over at his dark-haired friend as he stuffed some water bottles and a few sandwiches that Lita had made for him.

"Are you sure you want to be doing this alone?"

Dark hair flew off his face as he snapped his head up to look at Andrew. "I'm not alone. Raye is helping."

"Tracking spells and binding papers hardly counts as help."

He cracked a smile, "Says you. With her help, I've been able to track down three nests."

"Yeah but you haven't found any trace of Abel though, have you?"

Darien shrugged, "I've got a good lead I'm going to check out now."

He stood up quickly, almost knocking the chair he was sitting in over. "Then let us go with you. We could help."

A chuckle rose from the back of his throat, "Now you're starting to sound like Serena."

"Have you heard from her? Do you know how she's doing?"

His smile faded, "No, we're on radio silence until this is over. It's too risky, even for me, to contact her," he looked up at him and must have seen his emotions all over his face, "But don't worry, she couldn't be in a safer place."

vVv

She was in hell. A week and a half stuck in the middle of nowhere with no phone, no internet, no cable, not even a tv and some DVDs!

Landing in a foreign country had been nerve-wracking, to say the least, she didn't even speak the language, which she still didn't know what it was.

A…..person was waiting for her. She still couldn't say for sure whether the person that picked her up was a man or a woman. They were dressed like a man, clean, pressed white business shirt and black slacks, almost like a limo driver. Which she thought they were until they parked the car and walked into the fortress she now had to call home.

When she'd first arrived, she'd been spellbound. It even looked and felt like magic was there, in the air and ground. The huge mansion was made of greystone, piled high. It looked just like an English castle from the Arthurian legends she had read. Ivy crawled up the sides, covering a lot of the stone and almost blending the structure into the forest that surrounded it. Just beyond the castle was a cliff that fell straight into the ocean, waves crashing loudly against its side in rhythm. A rhythm that she found very helpful at night.

There was little else to the fortress, other than the ivy that took over most of the yard along with the castle walls. There were a few large trees here and there, ancient given their size. Oak trees she figured. Clearly aesthetics and curb appeal were not a priority here even though the natural beauty of the place was more than enough.

The person who drove her pulled her bags out of the trunk and headed inside, without a word as if they just expected her to follow. Her driver had not said a single word to her since they met and it was starting to get under her skin like a splinter.

The room she followed them to was small but no smaller than the one she'd back at the loft. It did boast a bigger bed than hers, so maybe the room was bigger than she thought. A small white desk sat in the corner, more like a vanity than a desk. And a small, round, dark blue rug circled around the bed. White sheets adorned with dark blue thread and embroidering flowed over the mattress, stopping inches from the floor. It looked like a relatively cozy room. Not as cozy as the one she left behind, but still very nice.

They dropped her bags curtly on the floor of what she assumed was now her room, and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

She was sure they didn't speak Japanese, and even though her English was fair, she didn't know if they spoke that either. But she tried both, hoping the driver would stop. It seemed to work as they paused in the doorway.

Not sure which one had worked, she said her message twice, once in English and once in Japanese. "You know my name, Serena. What's yours?"

They stood silent for several minutes, and she wasn't sure she had been understood. Not sure what to do, she decided on patience. She would be patient and let them tell her what she needed to know.

"Haruka."

And then, she left.

It was looking as though it might be yet another lazy and boring day as the morning rolled around. Her only solace was sleep, where she could at least dream about having a life. And Darien, mostly focusing on the nights they had shared instead of imagining him out there fighting alone.

Looking up at the small window that was so high off the ground she had to use a chair to fully see out, she saw that it had at least stopped raining. It had been raining since she got there, this country was a wet one that was for sure, and being so close to the ocean did not help.

She was about to roll over and see if she could sleep till noon when she heard it. The sound was unmistakable. The grunting and the sound of metal on metal. Someone was training, just outside her window.

Quickly shoving the tiny chair that was in her room, she stood up on her tiptoes to get a clear view. Her room's window faced a courtyard, at the back of the castle. It stretched for a few yards before disappearing off the cliff.

Two figures danced around one another, their movements quick and to a normal human, they would appear to disappear and reappear like magic. Just like this whole place was humming with it.

She wasn't sure, but she thought one of the combatants was Haruka, her driver. No one had come to her door or said a word to her in the halls when she did dare to venture out. Making it pretty clear that she was not wanted there. Maybe Darien being the last of the Van Helsings gave him some kind of control over this place. She was yet to meet or see anyone who appeared to be an authoritative figure.

The two fighters continued their back, and forth, the other opponent had the most interesting shade of blue for her hair color. And this time she was sure it was a girl from the start. She'd seen the woman a few times in passing. The woman screamed strength and confidence. The kind that anyone would find sexy no matter what your sexual preference was.

The battle paused as Haruka lovingly brushed the other woman's arm. A touch that was undeniable. It made her miss Darien even more. Wishing he was here to chase away her boredom and blues. To touch her the way the two lovers before her had done.

A knock at the door broke her from her revery, a strange sound to her ears as no one had knocked on her door since she'd arrived. Knocked or just entered. She never had a visitor here.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity for human conversation, she scrambled to the door. Opening it to find a man who looked around his early 50's. He had a warm smile on his face, but his stance breathed authority. It would appear that she was finally meeting the head of this place.

vVv

No matter how quiet he was trying to be, both her and Mina always heard when Darien came home. Many times it wasn't until the morning light had already broken the horizon. This night was no different. Both of them stirred when he entered, listening to him drudge across the room, quickly covering the short distance from the door to Serena's room.

He'd tried to get the two of them to take Serena's room, but it just didn't feel right. If anyone needed that connection to Serena, it was him.

Focusing her eyes at her friend laying across from her on the fairly large futon, she saw her concern mirrored in her face.

"Do you think he got anywhere tonight?"

She sighed, "I think if he did, he wouldn't have come home at all. He would kill Abel and go straight to Serena, no question."

Mina snuggled down into the covers, "How long do you think all of this is going to take?"

"There is no way to know for sure. I'm surprised Abel hasn't shown himself since. Maybe he doesn't know that Serena is alive. Maybe that girl Serena met in the club wasn't a friend of his."

"I should have never taken her out. This is all my fault."

Amy gave her a small reassuring smile, "You know as well as I do that she would have gone without you. At least you were there for her when it happened."

Mina shrugged, "Yeah I guess. You know what has been bothering me? Why send us back to her? And why not come and kill us? Before or after he thought Serena was dead?"

She'd been wondering the same thing for a while now. The only thing that made sense was that Abel must have known about Serena's Vampire side. He must have been watching her for a while now and knew his blood coursed through her veins. And he must have known what she could and would become. Amy had a sneaking suspicion that Serena was on the fast track to turning into her Vampire side before her, Mina and Darien had returned and that Abel had seen this in her. But Abel didn't want the Vampire side of Serena. He wanted the woman he'd lost, he wanted Serenity. A pure and innocent human girl. If Serena turned into a Vampire, she would no longer resemble that woman anymore.

Abel had sent Mina and herself back to Serena to save her soul, but only for his own evil intentions. That was why he didn't kill any of them either. He couldn't risk their death being what flipped the switch. But then Raye had led that seance to bring back Serena's memories. What it did was awaken the blood in her veins, the memories tied more closely to Abel instead of Serenity. She was certain that Abel had been sending her those dreams in the beginning, showing her what he wanted her to know. When all those memories flooded back to her so quickly, it short-circuited her, cutting off her connection to her human side and opening the floodgates to her Vampire side. It probably had something to do with her stolen heart and how she was hurting from Darien. Her heart was trying to protect her from the memories of Serenity and her loss and caused more damage instead.

Amy had a feeling that once awoken, the beast would never go away again.

Mina was watching her, waiting for some kind of an answer. "Because he wanted to gain her trust and he used us to do so. And he hasn't killed us because he has no interest in us. We are not his target."

She could see the mix of emotions on her friend's face. Happiness, over not having a death threat over her head and fear for their friends that did. It was hard to be happy in a time such as this.


	13. Chapter 13

I know I said I would post this last week but...oops! Sorry, I am almost done with preparation for my book. It should be available for sale by the end of this week. It will be $10 so not too bad I think. Even if you don't want to buy it, spreading the word is more than enough support and I would appreciate it if all of you told just one person.

Thanks to my beta/editor **Beej88** for encouraging me with this fic! She has a new fic out that is just..ahhhh it hits all the feels in all the right places guys. Check it out, it's called It's Always Been Youyou won't be sorry! Also, make sure you search out the Elite Squad. It is a collaborative group created for projects done together. Current collaboration is What Dreams May Come in which Mamoru is placed in a series of dreams that he can only escape by getting Usagi to fall in love with him. Each chapter is written by a different writer and if I can get my act together, will include a few from me. They are also written by Beej, Ninjette Twitch, and Revy so you know they will all be good!

Please make sure to find and follow me on Tumblr. I'll be posting more information on updates, new stories, and new books by me and others. So find me there!

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

" _You never walk alone. Even the devil is the lord of flies."_

― _**Gilles Deleuze**_

Making sure she was standing tall and strong, she met the man's stare head-on. He was a good foot taller than her, but so was Darien. This man had greying red hair that sat in waves on top of his head. A red beard fell to a respectable length from his chin while the mustache it was connected to was fully grey, creating a fading effect on his face.

His shoulders were broad and he looked to be in very good shape considering the age she guessed him to be. His smile never faltered as she took in his appearance, wearing what looked a lot like a Japanese kimono only looser and made of lesser material.

His hands were clasped behind his back and he stood in a very militaristic manner, making his smile almost unnerving.

"Hello." Her voice came out small and questioning when she meant for it to come out strong and undoubting.

"Hello, I'm Kenoske Hamill."

"Oh, you speak English."

"Everyone here does."

Well, there goes her language barrier theory. They just didn't want to talk to her after all.

Kenoske's smile deepened slightly, "I take it you have not received a warm welcome. I must apologize, they don't warm to strangers very quickly. And given the fact that you are not a Hunter, well that has caused a bit of fussiness amongst my students here. But no fear, I'm back now and I will make sure you get better treatment."

"Back?"

"Yes, I was in Norway, dealing with a little possession. Nothing major."

So was this guy a priest as well as a Hunter then? She had never read anything about Hunters performing an exorcism, that was strictly for clergy to perform. Either way, he was offering her salvation now -from Abel and boredom- and that made him holy enough for her.

He led her around, the castle she had already seen by herself, but now each person stopped and gave a small introduction of themselves to her. Ice still dripped from their mouths as they did, she was still a long way off from being accepted.

A small girl, one she had not seen before, showed up at his side, working hard to keep up with Kenoske's stride. And he made no allowances for her, even though she looked as though she might be 10 or 11 years old.

He gestured with his large, cracked with age and battered hand to the dark girl next to him. "This is Hotaru, she is my apprentice."

"Apprentice? For what?"

He returned his hand to his back and looked straight ahead while the young Hotaru looked around him to her. "For Cleric."

Cleric, Cleric, Cleric. She knew she had read about that before, but she was struggling to remember what it was. No way in hell was she going to ask, the last thing she needed was for them to take her as ignorant. She could really use Google right now.

She had to assume it had something to do with religion, given the name and the tasks they were completing, like exorcisms. If she was remembering correctly, they were a type of healer but with magic, not science.

They left the long hallways of the castle, turning towards a covered, outdoor walkway. It connected two parts of the castle together and she knew from her wanderings that above it was another walkway the connected the upper levels together. But they didn't stay on it long.

Kenoske soon turned off the smooth stone and into the grass, leading her over to the two women still sparring. They both stopped upon noticing their approach, standing side by side.

They both gave a slight bow and referred to him as "Master", just as everyone else had and continued to ignore her as well. That is until Kenoske gestured towards her.

"Our guest has not been treated very well in my absence."

Haruka shifted her feet, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance. "We are keeping her safe, aren't we? That was what was asked of us."

Kenoske shook his head, "Ever the defiant one. Haruka Tenoh what am I ever going to do with you?"

Haruka Tenoh? That was a Japanese name.

Kenoske focused his attention on the beautiful woman with Haruka. "And you Michelle, I expected better from you. You are always a true soldier, following orders to a T. I don't understand why you would disobey me this time, it was a simple task."

The woman, Michelle, had a confused look on her face. "Our orders were to collect the girl and keep her safe. There was nothing else other than that."

He shook his head, "I said, collect her and keep her safe and comfortable. Don't tell me that much slipped your mind?"

The two of them shared a look of embarrassment and guilt. Serena didn't really care about the lack of hospitality, she was hoping not to be there for much longer. But given the lack of entertainment in the place, she just wanted something to pass the time with. The two women looked at her with icy glares.

"Forgive us, our shortcomings." Haruka spit out.

It was clear the two of them didn't care too much about the treatment she was receiving. She gave them a nod, not being able to think of anything else to say towards their obvious disdain. They really didn't want her there. She knew she would be pressing her luck, but with Kenoske there, this might be her only chance.

"Can I train with you guys?"

There was a laugh between the two of them until they realized she was serious.

Michelle gave her a crazed look. "You can't be serious. We would kill you in an instant."

"Maybe, but at least it would be better than dying a slow death from boredom."

Haruka actually laughed but quickly recovered. "I don't think it is a good idea. We don't allow humans on the premises and you have already been allowed to break that rule. Training with you would be beyond reckless. It would be disrespectful not to mention dangerous, breaking our word to protect you."

Kenoske stepped up then, "Well we wouldn't want to be inhospitable. Why don't you teach her a few things, Michelle? You could teach her some self-defense, she could use that I'm sure."

Not one to disobey her master, Michelle released a frustrated sigh and gestured for her to come towards her. Haruka backed away, allowing the two of them to have some space. Michelle began droning out commands at her of what to do to defend herself in an attack. It was an interesting thought, she already knew all the self-defense moves Michelle was trying to teach her, but none of them would really be helpful when coming up against a Vampire or any other demon for that matter. They must have expected her to simply hide if there was ever an attack.

After giving her directions of the move she wanted her to perform, Michelle came at her as if she were an attacker, a painfully slow attacker. Following her directions, Serena made sure to promptly put Michelle on her ass.

The woman let out a grunt, the most unfeminine sound she was yet to hear from her, as she landed on her back hard. The rest of the crowd looked a bit shocked, but it wore off quickly. After all, Michelle had been going with a 16th of her usual strength and speed. So she knew some self-defense, wouldn't be uncommon for someone her age.

This time, Michelle didn't give her any directives, she just came at her, a little faster this time. Serena matched her speed and put her on her ass again. This time, everyone was definitely surprised. While Michelle was pissed. She got up off the ground and straightened herself. Haruka yelled out a warning to her about not breaking Serena, but she didn't appear to hear it.

Now Michelle came at her at full speed. Serena didn't miss the smirk on her face either as she clearly expected Serena to not even be able to see her, let alone stand up to her. Her fist was flying through the air, planning on landing right on Serena's cheek. So cocky was Michelle, she closed her eyes in satisfaction right before it met her target. But when it made contact, her eyes flew open, realizing something wasn't right. The sight she saw was one for the record books, as Serena stood, Michelle's fist in her hand. She had stopped it before it met its true target. Now Serena was the one smirking. She flung her foot, kicking Michelle in the gut, sending her back a few steps. It was a hit that wasn't intended to hurt, only to make a point.

The need to protect her mate taking over, Haruka stepped up between the two of them, a threat made clear in her eyes. Before she knew it, she was fighting both of them, the two of them taking turns coming at her. She was keeping up, but two against one wasn't exactly fair, not that a demon would ever fight fair. It felt so good to spar, using muscles she hadn't been able to for a week and a half now. Adrenaline rushed through her body and she welcomed the return of the drug in her system. It only pushed her body harder. It had been a while since she was sore from practice since Diana had always pushed her hard from start to beginning, getting her stamina up, but she was sure she would be tomorrow.

It must have been training time for the majority of the castle, as a crowd began to gather, distracted from their original tasks into watching the three of them. A few actually cheered for her.

She caught Haruka's foot as it attempted to make contact with her gut, giving it a twist, Haruka came off the ground in a spin before hitting the ground. But she wasn't there long, hopping back up on her feet quickly. While Michelle tried to attack her from behind. She got a kick into her back, but then she flipped Michelle over, landing on the ground next to Haruka's feet. Once up, the two of them stood defensively, watching her.

Haruka growled at her, "What the hell are you?!"

Serena just shrugged, "I'm just a simple human girl." _with Vampire blood in my veins._

But they didn't need to know that part. She cringed at the thought of how they would treat her if they knew. They already hated her being a human, knowing she was part demon would have them throwing her out the door in no time.

Michelle furrowed her brows, "Bullshit. You are no human."

Uh oh. Maybe this was a bad idea. She had been foolish, of course, if she showed her strength they would figure her out. What the hell was she thinking?! Lie, lie your ass off!

"I'm a distant cousin...of Diana. You've heard of her maybe? Married to Michael Van Helsing?"

Haruka wasn't buying it. "No way. Diana has no family. She was the last of her family line."

She inwardly cursed herself for not knowing more about the Master's life. "I was kept a secret. To keep me safe."

They didn't seem to buy it, not fully, but they let up a bit. "So you are from the McLeary bloodline? The second in line to Van Helsing?"

Wow, she did not know that about Diana. "Yes. And I was taught by Diana herself."

That seemed to impress everyone around them, especially little Hotaru. "But….Diana has never taken on an apprentice. She refused most ardently all request for her to do so!"

How old was Hotaru anyways? Who talks like that?!

"I guess she made an exception for me, being blood and all."

She wasn't sure if anyone really believed her but her story only seemed to make Haruka even more pissed at her. Moving to make a strike, Haruka tried to come at her again, but Kenoske stopped her this time.

"That is enough for today Haruka."

Both Serena and Haruka sighed in disappointment. Serena was finally having some fun while Haruka just wanted the chance to slap her around a bit. Or maybe a lot, given the look she was now giving her. Michelle look had seemed to soften a bit now. Maybe due to her thinking, she was a fellow Hunter like them or her connection to Diana. There was no way to know for sure as Haruka led both of them through the crowd and back towards the castle.

The crowd began to disperse, Serena couldn't help but notice that they were all men. She had noticed that the only woman she had seen in the halls where Michelle and Haruka but she just thought that was a coincidence. Now she was seeing that her, Michelle, Haruka, and Hotaru were the only females in the whole castle. The only female Hunters in existence probably. Now that Diana was gone.

She had yet to mourn the loss of her Master, unique in this world of demons and monsters, she just didn't know how rare until today.

Kenoske made his way back to the castle as well and she slowly followed, watching the men or Hunters pair off into sparring partners. They were all relatively impressive, and mostly working two on two. But there was one group that caught her eye, a group of four men. They were just getting started when she lost sight of them, but something told her it was something spectacular to see.

The two clerics before her led a winding way around, she did her best to keep track of where she was in relation to her room so she could find her way back. It was then that they stood before a large pair of doors. The carving was unique, compared to the rest of the castle as the other doors had no carving at all. Vines led up the sprawling doors, with swords wrapped up within them. The natural grain of the wood was worked into the design, making for a flawless mosaic of nature and brutality.

As the doors cracked open slowly, it was as if they led straight to heaven as bright pure light broke free, making the rest of the relatively well-lit castle seem dark like a dungeon. And she would know, she had been in a dungeon before.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the light, revealing the true contents of the room, which to her was still like heaven. It was a library. She felt like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, only her guide wasn't going to magically turn into a Prince. No, her Prince was far away fighting another beast.

There were a few others inside the Library, upon tall ladders or seated at lush tables. There was even a fireplace that roared with flames.

"This is a Clergy Library, only permitted for those committed to the cloth. You won't see many Hunters in here but they do come from time to time when we allow them. Perhaps this will help to keep you from, 'dying a slow death from boredom'?"

There was amusement in his tone, which she returned with a smile, "This will definitely stop that."

She was so stunned and overwhelmed, she found herself a bit breathless.

Hotaru put a small finger on her hand, gaining her attention. "I think the section you will find most…..helpful, is over there."

She pointed to a corner section completely void on any other human soul. Rounding a desk that she knew she would soon be claiming, she walked up to the suggested section. All the books looked really old, as if had they been left to their own devices and not taken care of, would have falling into dust by now. Only a few of them were in English and none of them were in Japanese, but that was nothing new. However, she did not have a handy translation app at her fingertips.

Starting with the ones in a language she knew, she pulled down all five that existed on the shelves. Their covers were worn and their titles long ago went missing. She placed them all on the table and flopped down into a chair, quickly pulling the book on the top into her grasp, curiosity taking its hold on her in an instant.

The first page still held the title, The Unholy Child. She flipped through a few of the pages, finding it looked more like a diary than any kind of textbook or folklore. She stopped a few pages in, taking in the words and figuring out what the book was.

 _The demon inside me grows stronger at every chance. Taking hold of my resolve and stripping me of it. It is slow and agonizing, I don't know how much longer I will be able to control the monster within me. I fear my mother was right, she should have killed me as soon as I was born…_

It was a book about a half Vampire. A mortal with Vampire blood in their veins, just like her. She whipped her head around to find Kenoske and Hotaru long gone. Hotaru had said the books in this section would be of interest to her. Were they all about half-bloods? Did Darien tell them about her or had they just known? It wasn't clear to everyone, Michelle and Haruka were proof of that. But the Clerics seemed to know exactly what she was. And they didn't seem too bothered by her.

vVv

Last night had been rough. Fighting through 5 "guards" only to be given yet another name to track down. This time it had been a nest of Vampires that had a few Zombies at their mercy. He hated Zombies, they really creeped him out. Zombies had been everything that the media had made them out to be, except they are always under the control of a Vampire. And the Vampire has to be pretty powerful to pull it off, especially as many as this one had.

Their creepy empty eyes and cold flesh still made him shiver in disgust even after showering their stench off. But their master was only good at controlling them, not at any other combat. Once he put down the poor souls, the Vampire called Lewis was pretty easy to subdue.

Darien had promised to release him after he gave him information about Abel. And if the creature knew he was lying, he told him anyways hoping to change his mind. He gave him a name, just like the last creature he had tracked down did. And the one before that. None of which had led him to Abel but he was getting closer. At least he hoped he was.

The sun was high, which normally would be the perfect time to go after this new name, Rupert. But this guy wasn't even hiding, he owned a large hotel-casino downtown. Which told Darien he was old and powerful. Not just powerful but influential. Very few Vampires actually held stock or anything that would draw attention to them. Being in the spotlight too much caused people to notice when they didn't age.

So for this guy, Rupert, to have his name and face on a well-known building was not a good sign. But it did make it more likely that he knew Abel and how to find him. This meant, however, that he couldn't charge in as he had for the others. This time he would have to use his charm. Which was unfortunate for him because it was his weakest attacks.

The sun was beginning to set when he managed to scrounge up a suit, minus the tie. The shared space of the loft was empty when he emerged, pulling his jacket on. Then Raye's door cracked open and she walked out in a little cocktail dress, bright red with a few things that glittered here and there.

Then Lita's door opened, she emerged in a green floor-length number that turned out to be backless. Andrew followed in a suit with his tie.

Andrew looked over at him with a grin. "Man you have to wear a tie. These places never let you in without one."

He looked around at the three of them. "Excuse me?"

It wasn't until Mina and Amy came down the steps in their dresses, orange and white spirals going to Mina's feet and a cocktail dress with a full skirt in blue ending at Amy's knees, that he put it all together.

"No. You are not going with me."

Raye continued putting on her shoes, practically ignoring him. "Face it, Darien, you need us on this one. You are not the best at subtlety."

"Besides, we are tired of waiting around for you to find this creep," Lita said, Andrew behind her for support.

A small gentle hand touched his shoulder, turning him to find Amy. "We want to bring Serena home just as badly as you do."

Mina stood next to the door, sitting on a trigger, "So let's go and beat the truth out of this guy!"

Raye screeched from the back, "We need him to talk Mina, and beating him is not going to work. Besides, you are going as a distraction, nothing else!"

Mina pulled the door open with a huff and the rest ushered past him out the door. Andrew turned back to him before disappearing out the door.

"You coming?"

Leaving him standing there, regretting ever filling them in on his progress.

vVv

Trying to stretch the stiffness out of her neck, she leaned back in the chair. Stupid Clerics, wouldn't let her take a single book outside the library. Too precious to lend out to the likes of her. Which meant she was stuck for hours in the hard chairs under the harsh lights.

Her eyes were blurry with exhaustion, but she couldn't stop, not yet. The other books that were in different languages were yet to be touched by her, she was still working on the few that were in English. In particular, the one that was the diary of one Jonathan Cedric Boone. He had been a half breed like her and he had suffered with it greatly.

 _I was born into this world on August 10th, 1906 at an Abbey near the Glockshires. My parentage is unknown as my father was never present and my mother died a few years after my birth. She never fully recovered from the event. It had been a slow and painful death, which is why I fear she did not love me. It was clear in the way she addressed me and looked at me. Before she died, I sat next to her on her death bed, hoping to give her comfort. The disease within her had only weakened her and made her wicked. I was only 6 when she passed and her last words to me were that she regretted not killing me after I was born._

 _Those were her last words. I try to tell myself to this day that she was in pain and it made her delusional. But those words have haunted me my entire life, bringing me great anguish. I was told that such pain can be solved by writing them down, trapping it within the pages of a book. I am now attempting this with this journal. I hope to cleanse my soul of all the hatred that lies within before it tears me apart._

 _October 12th, 1923,_

 _I had the dream again. My mother laid before me on her bed but instead of looking on the brink of death, she looks well and lively. Even without her death near, she still turns to me and says the cursed words. Then she gets up from her bed and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her as if I do not exist. I am plunged into darkness and I feel heat rise within me, a dark hatred. I feel as if I am on fire only to wake up in my sheets covered in sweat._

 _I had always been haunted by my mother's words, but never to this degree. It is as if there is something inside of me that is growing. It gets strong with each year of life as if it feeds off of my essences. It scares me._

 _December 20th, 1923,_

 _I have had a breakthrough, or rather a change in my situation. I have met a girl. Or rather a woman. Her name is Sarah, and she is truly the most beautiful thing to behold. When I see her I feel lighter and when she smiles at me, I almost feel right. It is as if she could chase away my dark passenger. I hope to make her mine soon._

 _February 19th, 1924,_

 _The dream has returned. Last night, my mother laid before me as she always does. However, this time after she told me of her regrets, I put my hands around her throat and squeezed. Her eyes went wide with shock and I watched as the light dimmed from her eyes._

 _Murdering her is not what scares me. What scares me is that when I woke, I felt more at peace than I had in a long time. The darkness within me is satisfied with death, with blood, and I fear how much longer I can keep it at bay._

 _May 30th, 1924,_

 _Tomorrow is the day. I am going to ask Sarah for her hand in marriage. She has been courting a few of the men in town, including myself, but I am not worried. She never looks at any of them like she looks at me. I am certain she only sees the others to keep up pretenses. But her heart belongs to me as mine does to her._

 _January 3rd, 1925,_

 _In a few more months, Sarah will be my blushing bride. It is hard to believe that soon, I will no longer be alone. It may take some getting used to, but I am ready for such a challenge. I hope to start a family soon, Sarah is eager as well. We will soon be a respected family in this town, instead of the outcast I have unwillingly become. She is my salvation, my hopes and dreams. I have not had the dream of killing my mother since Sarah agreed to be mine, which is proof of her hold on me. She will be what saves me from the darkness, that I am sure of._

 _June 15th, 1926,_

 _It has been a while since I have written here, I have not felt much need for it anymore. Soon Sarah and I will have our first born to worry over and I will no longer have time for silly things like a diary. It has served me well and I am grateful for it. My family will serve to keep me whole now._

 _November 12th, 1926,_

 _I am truly a curse upon this Earth. Sarah died, my child within her taking her from this world. A beautiful and pure creature and I killed her with my seed. She did not deserve such a death. The child she bore was truly a demon, a product of my darkness. I was a fool to think it was gone. It never left, it snuck its way into my life and took what was most precious to me. And now it is after my soul once more. Without Sarah, I do not believe I will sustain._

 _March 24th, 1927,_

 _Every night now, the same dream. First I kill my mother, then Sarah. Each night their deaths are slow and bloody and always by my hands. My heart is empty, I know my soul will soon leave this world. The demon inside me grows stronger at every chance. Taking hold of my resolve and stripping me of it. It is slow and agonizing, I don't know how much longer I will be able to control the monster within me. I fear my mother was right, she should have killed me as soon as I was born._

 _May 8th, 1927,_

 _I no longer want to be a curse upon this land. I am tired, so tired having fought the beast that dwells within my chest for too long. Yet, I will not give into it, I refuse. I hope that others will find this diary later, so they will know the truth, that I did not kill myself for selfish reasons. Quite the opposite actually. I will end my life before I change into whatever this demon desires. I will save all those who remain around me and I will soon join Sarah in the kingdom of heaven, never to be apart from her again._

She felt breathless. The book ended there, that was the last of it and she could only come to the conclusion that Jonathan Boone had, in fact, killed himself after that last entry. He had lost the battle and all because he had lost all those he had ever cared for. What would happen to her? Would she suffer the same fate it she lost Darien?

She suddenly found the room stuffy and in desperate need of some air. Her mind remained in the library though, the life of Jonathan Boone as told from his diary playing over and over in her mind. It wasn't long till the sounds on grunts and metal on metal drew her from her thoughts, her feet having led her to the practice grounds, brawls around her in full swing.

A few gave her a glance and some even gave her a small tip of their head, a sign of respect. Which surprised her to no end. But what shocked her, even more, was when a few actually stopped their sparring and made their way to her.

Two men made their way to where she stood, one pale with green eyes and short blonde hair, the other tan with grey eyes and long brown hair in a ponytail at the base of his neck. The two of them had on slacks and loose white t-shirts, marred with mud and a little blood. Both were tall and lean, moving towards her with a grace that entranced her.

They both smiled, mirth filling their eyes as she looked between the two of them waiting for them to speak.

"Hello there, you are Serena right?"

She nodded at the blonde who brightened at her even more. "I'm Jack and this is Noah."

They both held out a hand to her and she took a turn shaking them. "Nice to meet you."

The brunette still held her hand as she spoke, giving her a confused look. "But you already met us, remember?"

She nodded, "Yes, but I didn't get your names and my mother always said that to truly know someone, you have to know their name."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest, thoroughly amused by her, "Huh, I know a guy who said the same thing once. Not from his mom though."

So he knew Darien, now he had her full attention. "Oh? I suppose it's a common belief."

Noah shrugged, "Only the second time I've ever heard it."

Silence fell between them, but not for long. "Anyways, Noah here and I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For putting Michelle and Haruka in their place!"

She was shocked, surprised that Hunters would turn on one of their own and side with an outsider. "I don't think I did that…."

Noah patted her on the back, "Don't be so modest. It was quite the show."

Now she felt a bit embarrassed and guilty. She hadn't meant to make anyone, especially the only other females in the place, look bad. Letting her eyes wander, she found the duo not too far away. As if they sensed her eyes, they both stopped and turned to look over at her at the same time. Neither of them made a move save to watch her, the three of them just as curious in one another.

The men before her took notice, looking over at the other two women as well and chuckling.

"Don't let them bother you, they keep to themselves most of the time anyway."

She looked over at Jack to see he was looking her over, concern in his eyes. "I'm not bothered."

They both glanced at one another and then back at her, startling her with the care they both seemed to hold for her. "Okay, whatever you say champ."

She gave Noah a glare, making him take a small step back. "Okay, not a champ."

Zack took a step forward, trying to dispel any hostility quickly. "Why don't you come spar with us?"

Her face split into an undeniable smile before she could say a word, causing both men to chuckle again before leading her over to the rest of their little group.

vVv

The place was packed, and it was sending her senses into overload, the mixture of human and un-human causing her to question everyone. The only people she trusted in the room were the ones she came with.

Mina and Amy stuck close to her as they wound their way deeper into the hotel. The crowd had brought all sorts of people, gamblers, socialites, politicians, and a few who were just there to drink. Darien may not have wanted them there, hell he never did, but looking over the crowd, she now knew he would never get what he needed if they hadn't come.

She hated her father, political swine who only used her when it served himself. But at this moment, she had never been gladder than to be his daughter.

He was somewhere in this crowd, she could feel it. Glancing over Amy, she could just make out Lita and Andrew as they surveyed the crowd from above, walking across the upper deck of the room. Darien was somewhere ahead of them, digging through the crowd with little regard. Subtly really was not his strong suit.

A laugh rang out, one that she would always recognize as it caused her blood to boil every time she heard it. Mina and Amy heard it too, recognizing the look on her face more than the voice the laugh belonged to. They both released her, moving to find and retrieve Darien while she worked her magic to get them what they needed.

Pushing through the small group of supporters that had gathered around him, more like groupies, she spied her father for the first time in 5 years, talking it up like he was a celebrity. His eyes found her in an instant and a small play of emotions flashed across his face, guilt, regret, fear, sadness, and happiness.

"Raye! My darling girl! What are you doing here?"

There was sincerity in his voice, but it didn't phase her in the least. "I am here to talk to you, father."

He flinched a bit at the coolness she was giving back to him. "Talk huh? Does this mean we need to go somewhere private?"

Typically, he would be right, as their conversations were usually a shouting match, but not this time. "No, I just need your help."

She hoped that the crowd around him, his constituents, would help push him into getting her whatever she asked. "Anything for my favorite daughter."

She hated when he said that, because she was his only daughter, knowing full well it was an empty thing for him to say. "I need you to get me a private conversation with Rupert."

He squirmed, going a bit pale at her request, "Rupert huh? Why do you need to talk to him? Alone?"

"Because he has information on a….friend that I desperately need." Knowing her father, she was sure he knew exactly who Rupert really was. He was never one to let someone's background keep him from aligning himself with them for more power.

He shook his head, "I don't know if that is a good idea, Raye." She crossed her arms, a silent threat to throw a fit in front of all the people around them if he didn't comply. He quickly crumbled, "Okay, okay I will do my best!"

She watched as he made his way through the crowd, stopping every now and then for a handshake or quick polite conversation. Soon, he had made his way to a door that had been guarded all night by two tall, thick men. He was talking rapidly to one of them when the other disappeared behind the door. Her breath caught for the minutes it took for the guard to reappear, giving her father a short and simple nod of approval. Her father soon turned, heading back her way, just as Mina and Amy returned, Darien in tow.

The threesome got close and she pulled Darien away from the two girls and towards their goal, "We're in."


	14. Chapter 14

Hello, lovelies! This is getting close to the end now. Hope you have all enjoyed it as much as I have. Don't be too sad, there is a lot going on now and after this baby wraps! Self-published on Kindle! It's just a silly little romance but you guys might like it! A Darkened Heart by Aya Faulkner. At least give it a look and tell a friend!

Just posted the first chapter of my epic, Enchanted (UsaMamo Gift Exchange 2k19). There are no Vampires or werewolves, however, this baby is based is based in Celtic myths and folklore. So there is still dragons, magic, Knights, and all sorts of the Medieval feels. If you love romance/adventure/fantasy types, then you will like this one.

I have more stuff on the way, for FanFiction and Kindle. Follow me on Tumblr for updates! And also links to my playlists for my fics!

Betaed by Beej!

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

" _I am quite sure I am more afraid of people who are themselves terrified of the devil than I am of the devil himself."_

― _**Teresa of Ávila**_ _,_ _ **The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by Herself**_

The other two men were not as...friendly as Jack and Noah, looking over at her with indifference as she joined their little group. Then they ignored her, leaving her to practice with the two giddy men while they continued sparring with one another. A few others stopped, wanting to watch the scene that was about to take place.

Neither of the men seemed to be phased by the small crowd they were drawing, Jack picking up a pair of blades and tossing one over to her.

"We have seen how you are at hand to hand. Let's see how you are with a weapon."

It was a small broadsword, not her weapon of choice as she preferred a katana, but it would do. "Alright."

She glanced over at Noah, who stood nearby watching as well, but Jack caught her look. "Don't worry, one on one...for now."

He smirked, causing her blood to rise a little in temperature. Then he dashed at her, making the first move. Again, he started slow, just like Michelle, but at least it wasn't so slow that it was insulting. So she made a point of simply stepping out of the way, dodging the easy attack. He slowed even more, circling back around to face her, twisting his sword around in his palm and laughing.

"Sorry, I guess I asked for that. Should have known better than to lower my expectations with you."

She huffed, "Seems to be a common theme around here."

Glancing over, she could see that Haruka and Michelle were not only watching but had heard her little retort, it was clear on Haruka's face.

This time, she didn't wait, she advanced on him, at full speed. Surprise covered his face, barely having enough time to get his sword up to block hers. If he hadn't, his nose would have been on the ground instead.

The sound of their swords clashing together rang out across the field as they met blow for blow over and over again. Minutes passed and soon, Jack held up a hand, stilling her. He folded over, placing a hand on his knee, panting hard.

"Okay, I'm going to need a minute."

She laughed, joined by a few others in the crowd. "What's the matter, Jack? A bit winded? You should do more cardio."

"Not all of us regenerate as quickly, even when it comes to internal organs like the lungs." At some point, she had gained the attention of the other two men with Jack and Noah, the one who looked to be the oldest of the group, was eyeing her closely.

She held her chin up high in defiance towards him. "Diana always said I was special."

The elder's eyebrow twerked upwards, his eyes remaining on hers. "Special indeed."

Suddenly, Noah had his arm draped around her shoulders, "I guess you are a good match for Van Helsing after all!"

She pulled away slightly, looking over at Noah and then Jack, who now stood close to her as well. "What are you guys talking about?"

The man from the group, who had yet to speak, walked over closer to her. "We have known who you were from the start, Serena Tsukino. Even before you arrived here, years ago when Darien was here training."

She blanched, her eyes dancing from face to face of the four men that now surrounded her, "You….what?"

Jack chuckled, "Who do you think trained him? Well, some of the time anyway?"

Noah, whose arm was still wrapped around her, gave her a small squeeze. "Oh man, you should have seen it, Serena, the day your picture slipped out of his pocket," he pointed over at the older man, "Kade here picked it up and Darien nearly flipped his lid!"

She shifted under their stares. "He has a picture of me?"

"Yes, and I have to say we are all a bit relieved to meet you," she looked to find the only one whose name she had yet to get, was smiling for the first time at her, "in the picture, you are about 8. He assured us it was just an old photo but most of us worried he was a pervert."

Noah pointed an accusing finger at the man. "If I remember correctly, didn't you try to beat the shit out of him Zander? I mean you lost, but man were you gallant!"

A frustrated sigh left Zander's lips, a sign of what the memory brought him. "Yes, well, clearly it was all in vain. She is clearly not a child."

Jack gave her arm a small punch, "I knew you weren't. No way Darien was that kind of guy."

Kade pulled both Jack and Noah away from her by their ears. "You both assumed a lot of him from the beginning, simply because he was Van Helsing. Acting like a bunch of teenage girls around him!"

Jack smack his grasp off of him. "That may be true but even you can't say that he didn't live up to all of it. At least, he met all of my expectations."

Noah pushed Kade off of him, "Yeah, even his mate is beyond expectations."

It was then that she realized, the stares, the standoff atmosphere, and the general lack of interest in her was all due to the fact that they all knew she was with Darien. All this time, the whole castle had been either sizing her up or staying far away from her to be safe. It all clicked in her mind, suddenly making perfect sense. She was spoken for, long ago it would seem. And not by anyone, by the last living Van Helsing. This made her both feared and envied.

"What if I wasn't? Up to the expectations that is?"

The four of them looked over at her, silent for a moment before Kade cleared his throat. "Darien is the last of the Van Helsing, it is the expectation that he keep his bloodline strong. So if you were not strong, then others would have…..handled it."

"Handled it? Which means what? I disappear? Like some Victorian novel where the riff-raff is paid off and shipped as far away as possible so the young lord can marry some respectable lady?"

They laughed, although she did not find it all that funny, Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. "I guess that's what they would have tried to do. But in all honesty, there was no way Darien would have ever let that happen. Even Kade here knows it would be impossible to have kept him from you."

"Funny, since his Uncle managed to keep us apart for five years."

Sadness and regret hung in their eyes, she assumed for their Master and not her. "Well, that was unavoidable. Everyone could see how it affected Darien, it only pushed him harder. Probably why he finished his training so quickly. He had no idea that once he was done, he was not going back to you. Poor guy was crushed when he found out."

It was interesting, getting a look at the Darien she had never gotten to see. The side that she had missed for five years. It was nice to know all her pining had not been one-sided.

vVv

Raye took his arm, the two of them heading up to the 'office' of one Rupert Valentino. One of the guards, the human one, the other was also a Vampire, held the door open for the two of them, ushering them inside.

The room was relatively plain and dark. A bar with varying alcohols of all different colors sat to the left, set into the wall and lit from behind, causing the colored liquors to cast their shades across the room. A large, dark-colored desk sat at the back of the room, in the middle, while a couch sat adjacent to it, black leather spinning in the small light from a lamp on the desk.

A slick man sat behind the desk, sneering up at them as they entered. The desk lamp illuminated him from below, casting dark shadows across his face, only helping to make him look more sinister. The effect he was no doubt hoping for. His hair was white, almost blending into his skin and with his red Vampire eyes, he looked albino.

He gestured to the couch, not taking his eyes off of them. "Care to take a seat?"

He let a wide grin grace his face, "No thanks, this won't take long."

Rupert chuckled, "So what does the last surviving Van Helsing want with an old Vamp like me? Come to put me out of my misery?"

He huffed, "Hardly. You know as well as I that you are far too in the public eye for such a task."

"I see you have friends in high places. The daughter of Mr. Sawyer. Are we planning on making a political career out of being a Hunter?"

"It's Kino. Rei Kino. I have no relation to that man other than the blood in my veins."

Now Rupert laughed, a deep and deadly one, "Careful Ms. Kino, one might think you ulterior motives to this meeting, like, embarrassing your father."

Raye remained silent, letting him take the conversation back over. "We need the location of a certain person. A Vampire."

"And what makes you think that I would know where they were? Or that I would even tell you?"

"Because, he is your greatest rival today, currently trying to take over your territory. A territory, that you have worked long and hard to obtain. He threatens your existence along with your….business, here in this town. You of all people should be more than willing to give me all the information you have on him with a thank you."

Anger flashed across his face but it swiftly turned to a grin, "Do you think you are truly capable of taking out Abel? The man is the oldest amongst us and you've been a Hunter for how long now?"

His fist clenched at his sides, having long ago let go of Raye. "How long I've been hunting is of no consequence. I am the last of the Van Helsing bloodline, their blood runs through my veins. I am the strongest of all Hunters and past Van Helsings. I will be Abel's undoing."

A sick grin cut across Rupert's face, "Such confidence….I like it. But you should know that, especially in Abel's case, age does matter. I'm sure you have noticed his control over other beings. The Pontianaks for example, ever notice his ability to...use them?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Well, that is because he created the first one, a whore dying alone in the middle of childbirth. Although, I don't think Abel expected what she would become when he turned her. They may have been born of Vampirism, but they are far from being one of us."

"What else is there?" Rupert looked at him puzzled, "What else does he command?"

He shrugged, "Not too sure really. Of course, he can command Zombies, but like most of us finds that below him."

"Are you aware of his ability to cure Vampirism?"

Now Rupert stared at Raye, not believing her words. "You lie!"

He stepped in front of her, fearful of an attack. "We have seen it for ourselves...twice."

Now the old Vamp seethed, their kind was very sensitive about such things. "That is just sick, turning a Vampire back into a human."

"All the more reason for you to tell us where he is."

He drummed his long nails on the top of his desk, "If I give this information to you, you must assure me of his death. I can't have him coming after me should you fail…"

"I won't."

They met each other glares, Rupert sizing him up before making his decision. "...I'm afraid I don't know of his exact location. All I know is that he has now left town."

Raye pushed him aside a little, "Left town? When?!"

"Hmmm….I think it has been a week now? Rumor has it, he had some unfinished business out of the country. His little lackeys said something about….'destiny'."

He didn't need to hear any more. He pushed past Raye and the doors, shoving anyone who dared to get in his way. Abel knew where Serena was, having left a week ago, he was surely already there.

vVv

Today marked her fifth week in the castle, the past three weeks having passed by a little faster now that she had met the Valtory brothers. They weren't all brothers, only Jack and Zander were actually brothers, Kade and Noel were cousins. But they all shared the same Hunter blood so, in her book, that made them brothers. Either way, she had grown to love them and they had continued to allow her to train with them.

She left the library, skipping out to the training field to meet up with the brothers. But when she arrived, the field was empty. The only people on it were Haruka and Michelle, who sat as if they were waiting for her.

She slowly made her way over to the couple, who watched her approach in silence. "Where is everyone?"

"Training exercise."

Haruka answered a little too quickly and didn't look her in the eyes when she did. "Really?"

Michelle sighed, "No…..but you don't need to know anything other than that."

"Okay."

The two of them had their guard up, as usual, meaning that she was going to get nowhere with either of them on answers or just general conversation. The thought of not having anyone to talk to for who knew how long was heartbreaking, she didn't realize just how much she looked forward to her daily conversations with the brothers. Even Kade had opened up to her a little, even if he was a bit cold in general.

Her shoulders slumped in resignation, turning to return to the library for more research, when a hand stopped her, grabbing her arm gently.

"We are sorry...for being distant and ignoring you."

She turned to face the sad smile Michelle wore, glancing over to see Haruka looking anywhere but at her. "It's okay. I'm an outsider. I understand."

Michelle shook her head, "It's not that, I mean, yes at first it was. But it is harder, for female Hunters, there being so few of us, to connect with one another."

"Most of us die off so suddenly, without warning, it is hard to open up to another one."

Haruka still wouldn't look at her but the pain in her voice was obvious. "I'm sorry. It must be hard, losing so many friends so easily."

"Diane was one of them. A good friend of ours. We heard of her death, something so terrible, she truly did not deserve such a wicked death."

She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, burning as she tried to hold them back. "She really was a wonderful woman."

A tear slipped out, unchecked, her first one for Diane and surely not the last. She had yet to take the time to cry for her fallen Master. Her death had put her in a bit of shock, the gruesomeness of it only adding to her pain.

Haruka reached up, brushing the tear from her cheek. The action only breaking the dam as sobs took over her entire body. She fell to the ground, covering her face in her hands while two pairs of arms wrapped around her, crouching next to her.

vVv

He still donned his suit and tie, not bothering to change, only grab a few necessities like a crossbow and a few stakes, before racing to the airport. Much to his dislike, Raye and Amy followed close behind him as he made his way to the check-in desk.

"I need a ticket to Egmond aan Zee, Holland now."

"Make that three!"

He turned back to his two shadows, small bags on both of their shoulders. "You cannot come with me."

Raye hissed a whisper at him. "You need us and you know it."

Amy leaned in, whispering as well. "Raye can use her gift to protect you and the others not to mention help you locate Serena and Abel if need be! I can help any who are wounded!"

He hissed back at the two of them, "I don't have time for this, it is too dangerous!"

"I'm sorry sir, we don't have any flights to Egmond aan Zee, Holland till tomorrow afternoon."

He slammed his hand on the counter, turning back to face the attendant as he did, "Then get me as close as possible. I am flying out tonight."

"Us too!"

He turned back to them again, glaring as much as he could, hoping to insight fear. "You are not coming!"

Both of them crossed their arms, standing their ground before him. "I have my own money, Darien, I can pay for mine and Raye's ticket. We don't need your permission to do anything."

He stared at her, when did Amy get so demanding. Neither of them was backing down, clearly not afraid of him or what waited for them at the castle.

"Okay sir, I have a flight that leaves in an hour for Het Woud, so you will have to hurry to catch it. Other than that, I can't get you out till tomorrow." Both women continued to stare at him, neither one flinching in the slightest. "So, is that one ticket sir?"

He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "Better make it three."

vVv

The three of them were sitting around laughing when two cars pulled up out front. She could hear them as their engines roared then shut off. But no one was expected to be back so soon and they did not get visitors.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, causing her to lunge forward, grabbing one of the forgotten swords from hers and Michelle's earlier sparing. Michelle grabbed onto Serena, holding her tightly to her while placing her slightly behind her.

Crouching low, she held the sword in both hands and rushed carefully towards the front of the castle. Rounding the corner, the cars just came into sight, and a rush of relief washed over her, recognizing the cars instantly along with the occupants who were now exiting the vehicles. But her relief didn't last long.

Leaving her little hiding spot, she walked over to the group, wrapping an arm around Hotaru as she approached. "What are you guys doing back here so soon?"

The brothers where already out of their car, surveying the area, which made her nerves kick up to high gear again. Master walked over to her, looking around as well as he approached.

"The incident in town, the deaths, were staged. Someone wanted us to leave the castle unattended."

"What?!"

"Be on your guard, Haruka, Hotaru, they are most likely already here."

vVv

He sent the girls to collect the bags while he got them a car. But he only made it as far as the parking deck before he felt him. Turning around, he found blood red eye watching him from the shadows. Far too late, everything clicked in his mind, the shock of his stupidity almost knocking him to the ground.

"You never knew where Serena was did you?"

A laugh that was more of a growl, echoed off the walls, "No. But thank you so much for telling me. It was rather clever of you, hiding her there. I should have guessed really, but I never thought they would allow a half-breed on the grounds," anger seethed from him, ready to pounce as soon as the bastard showed his face. "Oh my….they don't know do they?" Laughter erupted again, bouncing everywhere and throwing off his location, "Well that is a surprise. I wonder how quick they will be to turn her over to me once I tell them."

"You son of a bitch."

A fluttering sound bounced off the walls, claws digging into his shoulders and pulling him across space before slamming him into a wall. Abel shimmered before him, his crawls deep within his shoulders, pinning him to the wall with his weight.

"She makes you stupid...and weak. She has cursed your entire family tree and yet, your heart still beats for her. I think I will give to her, a present, the heart of the last Van Helsing."

One of the hands released him, reaching for his chest. He grabbed it, holding it just above its goal, barely keeping it from piecing flesh. Blood seeped down his spine, dripping on the floor below, he was becoming weaker with each second as more of his blood left his body and drained to the floor. His shoulder wounds were deep, making it hard to move his arms, yet he still held Abel at bay, keeping him from plucking out his heart. But for how much longer, he wasn't sure.

Abel sneered at him, his fangs gleaming at him as he leaned into him closer, pushing his claws closer to their goal. "Just give up Hunter. She is already mine."

He took his eyes from Abel's claws and placed them on his face instead, grinning as he did. "I'm afraid you are too late for that Vampire. I have already claimed her. Many times."

Abel roared, releasing his remaining hold on him and leaning back with his claw stretched out over their heads, aimed right at his chest once again. He tried to lift an arm but neither of them would move an inch, even with the adrenaline pumping through him, they would not be healing in time to save him. He lifted a knee, planning on thrusting it into the demon's chest as hard as he could when Abel fell backward. He clutched his head, bending over and screaming in pain.

When Abel fell to the ground, writhing in pain, he saw Raye and Amy standing just a few feet behind him. Amy held open a book that Raye was reading out of as she chanted, not breaking eye contact with Abel who was now rolling around.

He shimmered away, his voice still echoing around them, "You bitch. I will have all your hearts in my hands to show Serenity, just wait!"

Amy got to him first, looking over his shoulders but he gently pushed her away. "I'm fine, they will heal soon. We don't have any more time. I led the bastard right to her."

* * *

Bum bum bum...


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"... you cannot shake hands with the Devil and not get sulphur on your sleeve."

― Nancy A. Collins

The boys spread out like cockroaches after turning on a light, scattering across the yard swiftly. Michelle and Haruka stayed next to her and Hotaru while their Master was yelling to the others on the radio.

That's when they smelled it.

The four of them ran back across the yard, high tailing it to the back of the castle only to find thick pillars of smoke coming from inside the castle.

"You and Hotaru stay here, Michelle and I will check it out."

The two of them disappeared and without a word, Hotaru headed in the direction they left, with her right behind.

Clerics were running all over the place, the only ones left in the castle other than a few young Hunters, who were now running in and out of the library like mad. Both she and Hotaru rushed over to the door, pulling it open to find the raging fire within. The heat overwhelmed her for a moment, pushing her back out the door. She regained herself, grabbing Hotaru and pulling her back out as well.

She had to shout, the noise of books popping and crackling combined with the general panic in the air made it hard to hear anything. "You should get back outside! Show the others where to go! They will need someone to guide them to safety!"

She looked like she wanted to protest, but for some reason, she didn't, listening to her and going back out, yelling at others to follow her as she left.

Bracing herself, she pushed back into the library. The flames were already high, licking the ceiling. Well over half the library was gone but many clerics still bussed books by her and out the door. A few were actually trying to put out the flames, smacking sheets of cloth over and over in vain. She ran over to each of them, pulling them away and pushing them towards the door. The library was lost at this point.

The only one left, she checked once more, smoke stinging her lungs and eyes, she searched the stacks one more time to make sure no one was left behind. Feeling sure everyone was out, she made for the door but stopped herself. The flames were dangerously close to her section now, the section of half-blood materials. She rushed over, filling her arms as much as she could with books before flinging herself out into the fresh air.

A few of the clerics, ones she had gotten out, rushed to her side, taking the stacks of books from her. With her arms now empty, she collapsed to the ground, coughing and convulsing as her body tried to heal itself from the smoke damage. A few stopped, checking on her and rubbing her back for a few moments.

Regaining herself, she sat back, looking around and over at the castle. The fire now raged over the entire west end, flames peeking out from windows. Would Hunters call the fire department? What kind of fire department was there in the Netherlands?

Something shifted, the crowd of clerics around her started moving around but something wasn't right. A scream or two rose out of the crowd, but where she sat, she couldn't see a thing, just bodies moving a little bit faster than before.

vVv

"Kade! The library, it's on fire!"

He whipped his head around, looking over at Jack who had wild eyes, "Shit. It's another distraction."

His young cousin looked back and forth, suddenly aware. "So they are already here? Whoever killed those people in the village?"

"I have a feeling that was someone else, someone helping the monster who is here now."

"Helping?! Since when do they help one another?"

He watched as understanding came, clearing Jack's eyes as he found the same answer as he did. "Find Serena. Now!"

vVv

He trudged up the stairs, checking rooms as he flew down hall after hall, making sure no one was inside, friend or foe. Finishing the East tower, he made it back outside as the smoke started to filter down the halls.

His crossbow squeaked softly as he tightened and loosened his grip on it over and over again. The East side of the grounds was quiet, too quiet. He felt it, something behind him, spinning with his arrow at the ready.

But all he found was Noel, standing still a few feet away, "Jees Noel, you scared the shit out of me," Noel stood silent, staring at him. "What are you doing? You are supposed to be checking the other side!"

Noel was still silent as he made his way closer to him and he was about to yell at him again when he finally saw it. A small blemish in his shirt, that was growing larger the closer he got. Noel coughed, blood spurting out the sides of his mouth. Zander started to run, trying to get to his cousin as fast as he could, even though a part of him knew it was already too late. A shadow appeared, creeping upwards standing behind Noel, sneering at him as he ran over Noel's shoulder. There was a sick sound, like twigs snapping in mud, the shadow dashed away at blinding speed.

He reached Noel just as he dropped to his knees, falling face forward in his arms. His back facing up to him, Zander could see the gaping hole that was now in the middle of his back. Noel was dead. His heart had been ripped out.

vVv

The screams started coming more and more, sounding more and more fearful, while the crowd continued to hustle and shift. She stood, finding her feet only to be knocked down again. Hands grabbed her under her armpits, lifting her back to her feet once more. Turning, she found bright green eyes looking back into hers.

"We need to get out of here, now!"

Jack pulled her into him as the crowd shifted, bodies crashing into one another. But it wasn't due to them running into one another. These bodies were being thrown, flying in the air towards everyone like missiles.

He began pulling the both of them away, no true destination in sight, while she pulled against him trying to get a glimpse at what was attacking them. Bright red eyes found hers, but with one look she could see that it wasn't a vampire. Their flesh was pale like one, but it had a green hue to it like the flesh was rotting already. And its eyes were too wild, not focused like a vampire. No this was something else entirely. A small space cleared for a second, allowing her to see the face of the creature and her breath caught in her throat. It was the very cleric she had pulled from the fire moments ago. But now, now he was something else entirely.

"What the hell is that?!"

Jack glanced back, still pulling her but now she had stopped fighting and started following. "That is a Zombie. Not quite a vampire but definitely dead. Something turned some of the clerics, turning them against one another, and left them to tear one another apart."

"Aren't we going to help them? It's a slaughter!"

He gave her a sad look, shaking his head. "They are already dead Serena."

She turned her head, looking back at the scene behind her, the ground covered with blood. Jack had pulled her from the massacre just in time. And she turned around just in time to see the last two standing clerics get ripped in half, their bodies falling to the ground, adding to the pile.

The red eyes found her again, sneering as she raced away to uncertain safety. But it didn't follow. She watched in horror as it dug its hand into its chest, ripping out its own heart before falling to the ground with the rest.

vVv

Amy couldn't help but notice the large ball of smoke that was rising in the air was also in the direction they were heading. Darien was barreling ahead, but she could tell by his face that he had noticed it as well, the color draining from it the closer they got to their goal.

Raye sat in the back seat, writing runes on scrolls and readying herself for what was sure to be the battle of a lifetime. Meanwhile she was cutting strips of cloth for makeshift bandages. But no matter how many she cut, it didn't seem like enough.

Two cars sat empty outside the front of the castle. And it was truly a castle, had it not been almost completely on fire, it would have been a grand sight to see. Currently, it was just frightening, a smoking husk of stone and ash.

Flinging her door open, the strong smell of blood hit of nostrils. Somewhere nearby, there was a lot of blood. It mixed with the smoke, creating a smell that had her stomach turning. Swallowing the vomit that had encroached her throat, she looked to Darien for direction.

"Raye, you and Amy go and look for survivors. I'm going to look for Serena."

"What about Abel?"

He turned, giving her a look that sent a shiver down her spine. "Either he will find me, or I will find him with Serena."

Raye grabbed her arm, pulling her around the side of the castle. She spared a glance back and dug her heels into the ground, forcing Raye to stop as well. She screamed, calling out as loud as she could back to Darien before Raye grabbed her again, pulling her around the corner and out of sight.

There was a dark shadow behind Darien. And she recognized it. It was the same one she saw in the sewers of Paris. The one that threw the Countess's head at their feet.

vVv

She matched Jack speed or speed, running around the castle to the back side, an area she had never been to before. The castle to their backs and thick forest to their left, the ocean stood to their right, blocking them in. Kade stood, waiting for them, and a large sack of weapons at his feet, taking deep breaths as they approached. Without a word, he tossed a blade to Jack and then one to her. She tucked into her belt while taking whatever other weapons she was given. A dagger, a few stakes, then her eyes fell on the bow and arrow. She had just started learning from Raye, but she could probably take down a few undead if given the chance.

She wrapped the bow and quiver around her chest while Jack picked up a crossbow. Kade held onto his sword tight, not needing any other weapon than that.

"Remember, he is not like any other Vampire you have faced before. And he has help, so be on your guard at all times. We might be able to survive until the rest get back, maybe."

She quaked at Kade's words. Not out of fear for her own life, but for theirs.

Footsteps approached and they all tightened their stance. Zander rounded the corner, his hands and face covered with blood.

"Where's Noel?"

She could see the tears in his eyes as he shook his head. Her breath caught in her throat and she truly felt as though she might be sick.

Kade's grip on his sword flexed, tightening and loosening again over and over. "Have you seen anyone else? Any of you?"

"The clerics are dead. All of them."

Jack's voice didn't waver, even with the death toll continuing to climb. "Has anyone seen Haruka, Michelle, or Hotaru?"

The three of them looked at her, the hope in her voice was obvious. "No, I haven't seen any of them…...So that means...I'm the last to have seen them alive? Oh God. Horatu. I told her to lead the clerics away from the fire. She was with them when I left her."

"Then she is most likely among the other bodies now." Kade's voice was so cold, lacking any emotion as if simply stating a fact.

Her heart was racing and her mind was reeling, bodies starting to add up. "No! No! That means...I sent her to her death!"

"Get a grip, Serena. We all need to stay calm and focus!"

She tried to listen to Zander's words, but she couldn't contain herself.

The world around them shimmered, something changing around them. They all picked up their weapons, ready once again, this time for the devil himself.

They tossed and turned, searching for the change, for the entrance. Everything slowed down and then exploded with movement. Jack went flying into the castle wall while Kade's blade sung out as it met fabric. Zander pulled on her, throwing her behind them while he slashed wildly at the creatures.

They were small, but had sharp fangs, like tiny baby Vampires. Their heads were bald and they had no eyes while the rest of their bodies were too small for their giant heads, yet they still managed to support them.

Jack was out cold. Kade was holding his own but Zander, one of the creatures was latched onto his arm, his teeth digging into his bicep. She pulled out a dagger, not even sure if it would kill it, and grabbed Zander's arm, stilling it so she could push the blade into the creature's skull from behind. She had to be careful not to push the blade into Zander, even with all the damage the little monster had done, a blade through the arm certainly would not help.

With Zander free, she pulled the bow off and grabbed arrow after arrow, letting them fly into the chest or brain of the creatures. There were thousands of them and they seemed to never end. They were all getting winded and she was out of arrows, changing to her sword instead. It was a lot harder, slicing off the heads, as the height difference was large.

The three of them leaned heavily against the castle wall, panting and stretching their sore muscles. "What the hell were those things?"

"Enochs. They crawl up your spine and disappear into your flesh. Then they try to control you, talking to you and telling you to do wicked things. And if you don't listen, they eat your brain."

She felt nauseous again. Zander nearly had one eat his brain. "We need to prepare ourselves, this is just the beginning."

vVv

She couldn't move, something heavy laid on top of her, making it impossible for her to move even an inch. And she was wet, with what, she wasn't sure, it was too dark under whatever was holding her down.

The last thing she remembered was getting everyone to a safe distance from the fire. There was a scream and she turned. Everything went black after that.

There was a grunting sound coming from above her. The object over her wiggled, shifting just a little bit. Then light streamed over her as she was freed from her prison. Hands grabbed her, pulling her out of the soup that she was laying in.

Haruka held her up in her arms, carrying her over something, she couldn't see. Michelle stood just ahead of them, her eyes were wide and tears were streaming down her beautiful face. Holding up a shaky hand, she felt how sticky it was with whatever was covering her whole body. It was dark and thick, making her wonder even more as to what it was.

"Don't look down Hotaru."

Her eyes snapped up, looking at the sullen face of Haruka, who had tears coming down her face as well. She had never seen Haruka cry, ever.

Hotaru wanted to obey, she knew deep down inside that Haruka wanted the best for her and that if she was telling her not to look at something, she shouldn't. But she was curious, confused, and afraid.

The ground made a squishing sound under Haruka's feet and every now and then something popped like it was snapping in half under her boot. Her eyes began to wander, looking down towards Haruka's feet.

Haruka shook her roughly, "I said don't look!"

Her feet touched the ground, green grass that had splotches of dark, dark that looked similar to her hands. "You are lucky to be alive Hotaru."

Michelle let her tears fall unchecked, looking her right in the eyes. "What happened?"

Haruka stepped behind her, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look and move forward. "You were saved, by another cleric. She sacrificed herself for you."

Her heart raced, why wasn't she allowed to turn around. "How did she die?"

"By saving your life, that is all you need to know. Just remember her sacrifice."

Haruka's grip loosened for a second, but it was long enough. She pulled herself from her grasp, turning and looking around her at the same time. Her heart stopped as all the feeling left her body. Her knees hit the ground, not even realizing she was falling. There before was a mass of bodies. Not even bodies, just body parts. It was a pile of blood and guts made up of all her brothers and sisters. All the clerics were dead.

vVv

His arm shook with fatigue. This was not good, it was exactly what Abel wanted. He sent those Enochs to tire them all out for him to finish them off. Which meant that he was scared of them. But why? Because they were a bunch of Hunters?

This entire attack had been designed to split them up and tire them out, killing them off one by one. But Abel hadn't planned on them coming back as quickly as they did nor did he plan on them sticking together as they had. It was almost like Abel was expecting them to split, to abandon Serena and save themselves.

Abel was close to a thousand years old at least, he was probably the first, and yet he was going through all this trouble for one woman. Maybe she was just his excuse to take out the remaining Hunters and he was doing a good job of that.

Serena and Zander leaned heavily against the castle, both of them exhausted. "The two of you should make for the front of the castle, take one of the cars, and get as far away from here as possible."

Zander glared at him, even with his exhaustion. "Like hell we will."

"Yeah Kade, we are not going to leave everyone else behind."

"He is after you, Serena. He will probably leave once you have, chasing you is his main objective."

Serena seemed to lighten to the idea, but Zander was not falling for it. "That is bull shit and you know it. He is going to take this whole place down and then come after Serena."

He watched her face twist in guilt and pain, "This is not your fault Serena. He would have gladly done something like this, with or without your presence here."

Zander suddenly turned, grabbing onto Serena hard before he could stop him. "Why? Why is he after you? Is it because of your alliance with the Van Helsing bloodline? Is he trying to stop the Hunter line from continuing? Why does he want you so badly Serena?!"

"Because she's not human." He turned, along with the others, finding Haruka, Michelle, and a whiter than usual Hotaru, "She is a half-breed, an unholy mixture of human and Vampire. But what I don't understand is why Abel wants a half-breed like you so much."

Serena blanched, looking half relieved at the sight of the women, alive, but also dreading the words that would soon leave her mouth. "Because….it's Abel's blood that runs through my veins."

"Shit."

"You're joking, right? There is no fucking way!"

Kade held up a hand, effectively silencing them all. "It is not possible for a Vampire to share his blood unless turning another Vampire. But that would just make them a Vampire, not a half-breed. How is it even possible?"

Serena shrugged, "I don't know but I'm not the only one, there have been others."

"It seems as though the older Vampires figured out how to sire children long ago. But the practice had since gone out of favor as those who were born half-Vampire ended up going full Vampire. The human blood in their veins made them stronger than their fathers and were ultimately deemed too dangerous by Vampires and Hunters alike. So they were all hunted down and killed before they could turn."

By the looks of Serena, she had never heard that story before. "What about Serena? She is very much alive."

Hotaru looked Serena up and down as if examining her, "Her family line must have been hidden and hidden well. She has been protected, her and all those of her bloodline, for a long time."

He could see something was clicking inside Serena's mind, but she remained silent. "We don't have time for this now. Abel is entering the final stage of his attack. He plans to kill us all, wiping out the Hunters for good. That is how he got so much help, he is promising freedom from us for good."

He looked over at the three women, "Now, have any of you seen master?"

"He's right here."

They all turned, spinning on their heels with their swords in their hands at their chest. All the wind left his lungs at the sight before him while Hotaru screamed. Abel held it high for all of them to see. In one hand, he held a heart and in the other, a head.

* * *

Whose heart is he holding? Idk guess you will have to wait and see!


	16. Chapter 16

So, I'm still not done with my next book...got fic-tracked...But here is the next to last chapter of countess! One more after this that I might just up ahead and post. Especially with Sailormoon489 breathing down my neck!

Shout out to Beej88 for betaing!

Annnnnnd here you go!

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

" _When the stars threw down their spears_

 _And watered heaven with their tears:_

 _Did he smile his work to see?_

 _Did he who made the Lamb make thee?_

 _\- The Tyger"_

― _**William Blake**_ _,_ _ **Songs of Innocence and of Experience**_

"You bastard. What have you done?!" Her body reacted, flinging herself at him, making it to him first only to be flung aside, claws slashing her side.

"Haruka!"

Serena had her in her arms, holding her up so she didn't lay fully on the cool ground. She pressed a hand to her side, slowing the blood seeping from her. The pain was intense, but she would live. All she needed was a few moments for the blood to stop flowing and she would rejoin the fight.

Serena was holding her tight while they both watched the fight continue in horror. The remaining Brothers were too tired, moving slower than they should be. Abel was going to pick them all off easily, something that was becoming more and more clear.

Zander flew across the small clearing, landing on his side and rolling several feet before stopping. A trail of blood followed behind him, marking where his body had been. Kade and Michelle were still at it, even with both of them attacking him at once, it was a one-sided battle.

"Michelle, look out!"

But she was too late. Abel hand shot into Michelle's gut, twisting her insides for a second before she dropped to the ground.

Serena moved to go to her, but she used what little strength she had to still her. "He will either kill you or take you if you go to him."

Stilling again, Serena returned to her side to watch on in horror as Kade, the remaining Hunter, landed next to Jack, limp and bloodied.

She still needed more time before she would be able to move again, but they were out of it. Trying to stand, her side burned up through to her chest. Serena tried to stop her, but she shoved her away.

"Haruka please, he will kill you!"

"You should listen to your friend Hunter. She knows what she is talking about."

Abel had discarded the head he had been carrying, it was pretty clear that it belonged to the master. But the heart, who the hell did it belong to?

"Why are you carrying that heart?"

He sneered, making her realize her mistake. "Because it is a gift. A gift for my lovely Serena."

Time slowed as she tried to get to Serena, to do something to keep her from hearing, but she had pushed her away and her side slowed her immensely, "Here, for you Serena. The heart of your beloved Hunter. The last of the Van Helsings."

vVv

She watched as Abel threw the heart up into the air, unable to take her eyes away or stop her hands from stretching out to take it from the sky. It was cold and heavy, bigger than she always imagined a heart would be. And it smelled like Darien, or rather, Darien's blood. She now held Darien's heart in her hands. His heart...her hands…..you can't live without a heart...that means…..

As if it was all a cruel joke, she could still feel the string that bound them together. But that string was tied to her heart as it was to his. She now held the other end of her string in her hands.

The realization of this caused the string to pop and fizzle, lighting on fire like a fuse, starting from Darien's heart and slowly making its way to hers. As if once it hit her, a firework would go off.

She could hear Haruka's voice in the background, but it sounded as if she was speaking to her from underwater. None of it was coming through in anything more than mumbling. Then the firework went off and everything went black.

vVv

Watching in horror, she looked on, unable to do anything as Serena's eyes went from blue to black and then red. She had been afraid this would happen, the only thing that kept half-breeds from turning Vamp in her research was a tie to their humanity. Something that tethered them to the land of the living and keeping them from wanting to leave it.

Darien must have been that tether for Serena and with him dead, she had no will to live. So the Vampire happily took over for her.

She was truly a fearsome thing to behold, she had never seen such a creature before. Abel seemed pleased, happy with his little spawn.

"There you are. My queen. You and I will be rulers of this new era I have created for us."

Serena smiled, almost skipping over to Abel's side. "Thank you, for freeing me."

"You are welcome, my love. Now, what do you say we finish off these last few Hunters and start a new world order?"

Her heart stopped, it was really all over for them. All this time, she had actually had hope. She thought they would make it out of this alive, but now she saw that she had been nieve. Most of their family was dead and those who remained were beaten to the point of unconsciousness and near death.

Serena's red eyes found hers, looking deeply into her. This was the end.

"I like that idea. There is only one problem though."

"And what is that, my love?" Abel was purring to her and it just made Hotura want to vomit.

Serena's eyes left hers, turning to Abel whose smile faded as soon as their eyes met. "You tried to kill me."

Abel took a step back as if he were afraid of Serena. "That was a mistake. A misunderstanding."

"Bull shit! You don't want me, you want your precious Serena or rather your Serenity. I help you kill off these fuckers and you will try to kill me right after."

"No! No, I want you to rule by my side, to be my Queen!"

She laughed, a deep and wicked laugh, nothing like the light sweet one Serena used to have. "Well then there's the other problem...I don't need a King."

Her foot landed squarely in Abel's chest, sending him flying backward so fast she could barely see him. But then he reappeared, Serena grabbing him by his throat and slamming him to the ground. He managed to get her off, throwing her away but not nearly far away enough.

She raced over to him, claws out and he barely dodged her, ducking down and grabbing her around the waist. He held her above his head, looking as if he was going to lower her over his knee and break her back. In a flash, she had spun around and scratched his face deep. His howl echoed all around them, bouncing off of every solid structure.

He threw her again, this time a little further. She was starting to think Abel couldn't manage to toss her as far as he would like. Serena hit the ground on her feet, not giving Abel so much as a second to breathe before she was on him again, slapping and hitting and scratching.

"Get off of me you bitch!"

She actually obliged, jumping off to stand in front of him. "You're right, I have played long enough."

Her fist and feet went flying, hit after hit colliding at bone-crushing speed. She thought she could actually hear each bone in Abel's body break as Serena pounded him to dust. He laid on the ground before her, twitching every so often. She went over to him, sitting down on his chest with his arms under her shins.

"You can't do this to me, I created you."

Serena leaned over, patting his cheeks as she chuckled. "Then you really should have known better."

In a blink, Serena's hand was now inside of Abel's chest, but she didn't rip his heart out immediately. No, she was still playing with him.

"I am immortal. I have lived for centuries. You really think a half-blooded abomination can kill me?"

"Only one way to find out."

There was a sick ripping sound and soon Serena held Abel's heart in her hand. Someone cried out next to her, an inaudible sound coming from someone's throat. Serena looked over towards her to follow the sound, Abel's heart still in her hand as his corpse slowly turned to sand beneath her. Her smile faded and instead curled into a frown. Slowly crushed, thick black blood squirting all over Serena from the heart she crushed and before it turned to sand.

Looking over her shoulder, she searched for the change in Serena's demeanor, finding Van Helsing standing right behind her.

vVv

She was cover in black blood and when her eyes turned to him, they were bright red. Serena had gone Vamp again. Abel's body was crumbling beneath her and the fact that she remained red-eyed told him it wasn't Serena controlling it as she had in the cave. If Serena had ever really controlled it.

A few of the once limp bodies started to move near him. "Everyone, get out of here."

Haruka, one of the few still moving, glared at him. "Darien, we have to put her down."

He returned her glare, fire burning deep within him. "Haruka, get out of here, NOW!"

She buckled, the weight of his Van Helsing blood easily overpowering her. They all limped and carried till he was alone with Serena.

"Abel told me you were dead. Handed me your heart and everything."

"He tired. Twice actually. But I kept it. I have someone important that it already belongs to."

"If you mean Serena then the correct sentence is 'had'. You had someone that it belonged to. Because Serena is long gone and I am here to stay."

"We will see about that."

She tried to run, but he caught her, their speed making the world blink in and out of existence. He held her with her arms tight to her sides and she struggled against him. She pulled her head back and slammed it against his, causing him to release her and stumble back a few steps. If he had been a regular human, she would have cracked his skull.

Trying to run again, she turned, aiming for any direction away from him. It would appear that she really wanted to get away from him.

She got a little head start, but he was able to catch up with little problem. "It seems as though you don't want to be near me, Serena. And yet, you keep letting me catch you."

"I am not letting you do anything you asshole."

"Ah, then it's not you is it, it's the real Serena. She's fighting against you now, isn't she? Now that she knows I'm alive."

"Shut the fuck up, you don't know what you are talking about."

She struggled against his hold and he was sure she could break free of him if she really wanted to. "I know that Serena loves me and I love her and that just kills you doesn't it."

She let out a feral scream, wrenching herself free and slashing his arm in return. But then she stood still, not running or moving at all.

"What's the matter? Give up already?"

She stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You should join me, Darien. Together, we would be unstoppable."

He grabbed her hips, keeping her at a safe distance. "We already are. But as Hunter and human."

"But I'm not human. Never was, never will be."

"Yes, you are. You just have a few….talents."

She laughed darkly. "Yes, I do. And I remember just how much you enjoyed those talents. Imagine what it will be like if we never tire. We could make love all night."

He braved leaning in, hoping to catch her off guard. "We already do that, just the way we are now."

She growled, pushing him away hard. "You stupid fool. We could have been something beautiful, something feared by all!"

"I keep trying to tell you, we already are. Hell Abel chased us all around even to the other side of the world just to try and keep us apart. Because he knew just how strong we are." Her claws were out and he had no doubt that she could kill him if she wanted to, so why wasn't she, "You can't kill me can you?" She frowned, going to attack him again, but it was weak and easily blocked. "That's it, you _can't_ kill me."

"I can kill you! I killed Abel with ease, I can kill a weak little hunter like you!"

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. What I mean is, you won't kill me."

"Shut up...shut up, shut up, shut up!"

She ran at him, using her full speed this time. Her arm was drawn back, claws at the ready, but he didn't move. He watched as her hand came closer and closer to piecing his flesh but he didn't falter in the slightest.

Just as he knew she would, her arm stopped, freezing right above his heart, unable to move any further. The anger and fear were clear on her face, as she realized just how true his words had been.

Grabbing the hand that loomed over his chest, he pressed it the rest of the way down, the claws retracting instantly as her palm came to rest over his heart. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her the rest of the way to him.

"You see, I am alive Serena. That is my heart and you know it is true because you can feel it through your tether to me."

Her face melted but then twisted, the Vampire trying like hell to hang on. "There is no tether, I burnt it to a crisp!"

"Then I will just have to tie a new one."

He claimed her lips with his, all the pent up energy from their time apart pumping into her as he did. She stiffened, trying to fight him off, but it was over the minute she saw him. That was why she tried to run, she knew if she could get away, the Vamp might have some time to play before he found her.

She stopped fighting and leaned into him, deepening the kiss as much as physically possible. Her hand at his chest grab tight to his bloodied shirt while her free arm wrapped around his neck. He pulled away from her when he tasted salt. Finding tears streaming down her face. But when she opened her eyes, they were still blood red.

"Abel...told me you were dead. He handed me your heart. I could smell your blood on it."

He brushed away tears, an endless battle at the moment. "You smelled my blood because he covered the heart in mine before he gave it to you. It was never my heart Serena, he just wanted you to think it was. He wanted you to turn. He wanted you to kill all of us, to kill me."

She shook her head as if to dispel the haunting thoughts. "I could never! I would never!"

"It's okay, it's all over now. Abel is dead."

Even with his words, her eyes were still red and wild. "But Darien, so many are dead. Dead because of me!"

"No, they are dead because of Abel!"

She pushed her way out of his grasp. "None of these people would be dead now if I had never come here."

He tried to grab her, afraid she would slip away where he couldn't reach, but she kept escaping his grasp. "Then he would have just killed others. Serena, he was a monster. Death follows him around wherever he goes. But he is dead now, you killed him. You avenged all those he has killed, including Serenity and Endymion," she stopped, her back to him, "Remember them? They wouldn't want you to dwell, they wanted you to live. To be happy and to be with me," she turned to face him but her eyes were still on her feet, "You and I are meant to be together Serena. Forever."

She still had yet to look at him, even with his proposal. "Darien….you and I are tethered together. I know you feel it just as I do, but that is not because we are meant to be together. It is because your ancestors vowed to protect my ancestors."

He took a step closer to her but she took a step back in response. "I know all this and it doesn't change a thing."

"No, you don't know everything. A long time ago, Hunters and Vampires got together to kill off any half-breeds. The only one to survive was my family because they were protected by your family. The tether is a precaution created by our families, it has nothing to do with how we feel about one another."

"So? I don't care!"

"Don't you get it, Darien! Everything about us, our meeting in the hospital, your irrational need to protect me even as kids, and now your love for me, it is all because your ancestors made a vow to protect mine a century ago."

She was distracted, trying to get him to see that he didn't love her, so he grabbed her, catching her this time. "None of that matters. They may have made that vow but they never said anything about the relationship between us. Our feelings, yours and mine, are real and have nothing to do with them or the sense of protection I have for you," her eyes were still firmly planted to the ground and he was desperate to see them, "My family has protected your family for a century, this is true. But none of them loved one another. Not like I love you. If they had….well we would be having a completely different conversation now wouldn't we?"

She gave out a huff, a sad attempt at a laugh. Without releasing his hold on her, he dared to put a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. Blood red eyes still stared back at him, proving that she still didn't believe him.

"What will it take, Serena, for you to believe me?" She struggled in his hold, but he held strong, "Are my words not enough for you? You don't trust me?"

Her eyes flew to his, "Of course I trust you! I just….I don't think you should be trusting yourself."

"Serena, I have been in love with you since we met and after all these years that has never changed. Don't you think if it was all some kind of cosmic coupling made by a protection spell that my feeling would have wavered at least a little after all this time?"

"...No. I think your Hunter blood would keep you oblivious to it all. And isn't that proof in itself? The fact that you have loved me for so long without a doubt? That has to be your blood and not love."

"So what?!" She stared at him, her mouth hanging open, "So what if it is my blood. It is still my blood, me that wants you. What difference does it make if it is our ancestors or not, doesn't that just mean it is meant to be?"

"Wouldn't you prefer to have a choice?"

"Do you love me?" She hesitated and his heart began to rush, doubt starting to form in the back of his mind, "Do you love me, Serena?"

"Yes, of course, I do."

"And do you think that is you or your blood talking?"

"It's me….my blood...God, I don't know!"

She had started crying again, her frustration bubbling over, "Then tell me this Serena, does it matter? Does it matter to you which one it is? Does it make your feelings for me any different knowing that your love for me could be all due to a promise made a century ago?"

She flung her arms upward, grabbing him around the neck and squeezing him hard, "No….it doesn't change anything. I still love you more than anything."

He squeezed her back, wrapping his arms around her waist, "And I love you. So just let me love you and stop worrying about things from the past. They don't matter anymore. You are mine and I am yours, forever."

She laughed, pulling back just long enough for him to see her baby blues before crashing her lips to his.

* * *

One more!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

" _بيَكْثُر في هذا الجزء من العالم الحديث عن الشيطان كمصدر خارجي للفتنة وبيَقِلْ الحديث عن الشيطان اللي جوايا_ _.._ _نفسي"_

" _There is much talk about Satan as an external source of sedition and we forget to talk about Satan we have inside us."_

― _**أحمد العسيلي**_ _,_ _ **كتاب مالوش اسم**_

She was covered in black blood. It was reeking with decay and now she smelled of it too. But her and Amy were still alive. The creatures they had faced were weak and small, but still had the promise of being quite deadly. Their big heads made them a bit of an easy target, her runes fit easily there. But that meant getting close to them, hence the blood that was now splattered all over her and Amy. They were truly a sight to see.

But what was worse, was Amy's morale. They had yet to find a single survivor. They had spent most of their time disposing of bodies, burning and salting them. She was used to such things, having spent the last several years doing it with Serena, but Amy, it was clearly getting to the girl.

"Maybe we should stop, head back to the car?"

She shook her head, blue hair flying around her shoulders. "No. There could still be injured. We should wait for Darien. He could be hurt too."

"Amy...we don't even know if Darien's alive. You saw the same thing I did. No way Abel lets him get away for the third time."

She saw something move out of the corner of her eye, it was dark but moving very slow. Pushing Amy behind her, she reached and pulled out another Rune, ready for whatever it was. But she wasn't ready, not in the least.

It was a group of six, maybe less the way they were carrying some of them, stumbling towards them. Amy didn't hesitate, sidestepping her and rushing over to them. However, the group was hesitant of her, the few that could pulled a weapon on her.

"Wait! Don't hurt her!"

The weapons froze, the few eyeing her and Amy suspiciously as she continued to advance on them. Amy had no fear of them in the least, even though there was no real proof any of them were human. It could be a trap.

"Amy please stop!"

She met up with them, taking a close look at the unconscious ones first. Raye had yet to lower her Rune, approaching them right behind Amy. It was three women and three men, or rather two women and a young girl. She shuddered at the thought of all the young girl had just witnessed.

Two of the men were carrying a man while the woman carried another woman, both of them were out cold. The man looked relatively unharmed, just some bumps and bruises, while the woman had a large hole in her abdomen.

Amy started on the woman at first, inspecting the wound and convincing the woman who still held onto her to put her down and let Amy look at her. The two men also lowered their load, propping him up against a nearby tree then flopping to the ground next to him. She walked over, taking a closer look at their fallen partner. His blonde hair was falling haphazardly over his eyes and his mouth was pursed like someone who was just taking a nap.

His companions didn't even move to stop her as she got close, deciding she was a friend and not foe. She checked his pulse, finding it steady and checked his temperature. He seemed perfectly fine but she had no idea how long he had been out or how much longer he would remain asleep.

None of the survivors were looking at her or Amy, instead, they looked off into space, probably just now taking the time to access the battle and the horrors they had faced.

Her heart stopped, cursing herself for taking so long to notice someone missing from this, the only group of survivors. "Where is Serena?"

"Van Helsing is handling her."

Her eyes darted over to the voice, finding it belonged to the woman who remained, and Amy glanced over at the woman as well. "Darien is alive?! Thank goodness!"

But something tugged at her, "Wait...what do you mean Darien is handling her?" All eyes were on her but when she tried to find any of their eyes, they turned away, "What happened to Serena?!"

She was screaming but no one would answer her. Pissed, she got to her feet and made for the direction they just left, but a hand grabbed hers, stopping her.

The blonde who had been sleeping a second ago was looking up at her, shocking her to silence, "What's going on? Why is the pretty girl yelling?"

"Jack! You're awake!"

"You had us worried brother."

The two men where suddenly chatty, grabbing onto their friend, releasing the tension that had remained within the two of them. He still held her hand, refusing to let go even when she pulled against him.

"You need to let me go...now."

"Look, girl…"

She shot daggers at the woman who was continuing to act cold about the whole situation, "My name is Raye!"

"Fine. Raye, there is nothing you can do now."

She stomped her foot, hoping the momentum would help free her from the strange man's grasp, "I am a High Priestess, I can do more than you think!"

The man who held her laughed, "A high Priestess," he looked over at Amy who was still hard at work, "a doctor and a Van Helsing? Man Serena has friends in some seriously high places!"

"Serena is like a sister to us, we would do anything for her and she would do anything for us. Do you have any idea what that is like?!"

She glared at him but he didn't shrivel away, instead, he stared back at her, his face fading to one of seriousness, "Yes...yes I do."

"Then let me go, I have to find Serena, I have to help her!"

He still didn't release her. "Can't do that. I know Serena wouldn't want me to. It is too dangerous around here, even for a Priestess."

She glanced over at Amy who was finishing wrapping up the bloodied woman, a sullen look on her face. "I'm afraid that is all I can do here. She needs a hospital. Even with her accelerated healing, if she doesn't get medical treatment, she won't live long enough to heal."

"We have our own doctor. Hotaru, take Jack and Michelle and go. We will stay and clean up the mess."

The man with the white hair commanded them and they listened. Jack finally released her hand, rising to collect the woman who must have been Michelle and the three of them made their way towards the front of the castle.

"Zander, go with them. Jack could still have internal injuries. They shouldn't be left all alone. And get your arm looked at while you are there!"

She watched them go, silently wondering if the three of them were all brothers, the similarities between them was startling. The remaining Hunters tensed, sensing their arrival just as she did. They all looked behind them, finding Darien as they rounded the corner and came into view. In his arms was a small bundle, she looked tiny in his arms.

The way he was holding her, it was impossible to tell where or not she was still alive and her heart jumped up into her throat at the thought. Amy grabbed her arm, having moved over to her while they watched. Her eyes were wide, fear evident on her face as well.

The remaining woman stood, glaring over at the couple. "I thought you said you were going to take care of her!"

Darien's head whipped over to the woman, matching her glare. "I did."

It was then that Serena's head turned, her eyes peeking over at them. The air she had been holding released at the sight of her eyes, open and wide…..and blue.

vVv

Amy and Raye were truly a sight. They were both covered in blood which was incredibly unsettling. But after looking them both over, she could see it wasn't their blood, it was dark and thick. The blood of the undead and not their own. She had no clue they were there and didn't understand how they had gotten there. The only thing that made sense was that they had forced Darien to bring them. The thought made her giggle softly. Darien gave her a small squeeze, hearing her laugh and reminding her to remain still.

They had agreed to let him handle it, her still being alive and all, carrying her so she would be safe. No one would dare attack him even if she was in his arms. Had she just walked next to him, they would have attacked her before he could get a word out otherwise. However, the look on Haruka's face had her questioning that, as she looked like she would strike both of them any second now.

"I thought you said you were going to take care of her!"

Haruka was pissed, her glare dancing from her to Darien and back. "I did."

"I knew you shouldn't be left with it, you were supposed to kill her!"

Darien's grip on her tightened slightly. "No, I was supposed to get rid of the Vampire and I did."

Kade caught her attention now, having stood silent for the exchange. "She can change from Vampire back to human? Just like that?"

"Darien is her connection to her humanity," Amy was looking at her as was everyone else even as she spoke, "As long as he is alive, she will remain human."

"But she is still half Vampire and as a half-breed, she is more dangerous than any Vampire no matter the age. She is stronger than all of them and therefore needs to be put down now while she is easily subdued."

Raye suddenly appeared before them, placing herself between the two of them and the other Hunters. Amy soon joined her, the two of them facing away from her, keeping their eyes on Kade and Haruka.

"You will not harm a hair on her head!"

Raye's words, although full of promise and lacking any doubt, were almost comical as she stood up to two of the strongest Hunters in the place. Second only to Darien. She wanted to get down, to protect her sisters, but Darien held her tight to him, not allowing her to move even a little.

Even though her movements were slight, it still caused Haruka to act, pulling her sword out from its sheath. But before she could move any further, Kade stopped her. His eyes found hers, searching them for the answer he wanted, not letting go of her gaze till he found it.

He looked back at Amy, who still stood her ground in front of her. "As long as Darien is alive, Serena will be as well correct?" Amy nodded silently in response, sure of herself and her answer, "Then I see no just cause to kill this woman."

Haruka sputtered, raising her arms in protest at both her and Kade. "You didn't see what I saw Kade! She took out Abel, the strongest Vampire we have seen to date, and she did it with little struggle. It was child's play to her!"

Kade looked at her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yes, and think about what a fine ally she will make."

"And if she turns again? No one will be able to stop her then."

Kade turned to Haruka, a full smile on his mouth now. "Her tether is Darien, the last of the Van Helsings. He is stronger than you or I combined. I think it is safe to say her soul is in good hands."

"He is not immortal Kade and he struggled to take care of Abel. His death is inevitable in this line of work especially."

"If Darien dies, you can kill me yourself," even Raye and Amy turned to stare at her for her words, "If Darien is dead, I don't want to live anyways. You can kill me yourself Haruka."

Haruka stared at her for a moment, assessing her words and debating whether or not she meant them. But she did so Haruka backed down, the threat was over. She jumped out of Darien's arms, running over to Raye and Amy and wrapping her arms around the two of them. Amy wept, clinging onto her and Raye to keep her from hitting the ground. Raye just squeezed her tight, refusing to let her go.

"We should get out of here. I'm surprised the authorities haven't shown up already."

Kade was gently touching their little group, pushing them towards the direction of the cars. Looking up, she saw Haruka standing a few inches away, watching over the three of them. She had a feeling she had acquired a new shadow. One that would watch her for other reasons than to protect her.

She felt Darien's hand at her back, gripping the fabric of her shirt. "You guys go ahead, we will catch up."

After a little hesitation, the four of them left, Haruka and Kade putting Amy and Raye between them. Darien pulled hard on her shirt, causing her to fall backward back into his arms. She was smiling until she caught the look on his face.

"How could you make that pact with Haruka?!"

She tried to get up but he held her still. "It was the only way to get her to stand down."

"She would have stood down when I ordered her to. You didn't have to offer yourself up for sacrifice..again!"

"I didn't. I wouldn't be sacrificing myself, it would be a mercy killing."

His face changed, melting from anger to sadness. "Just because I am dead, doesn't mean you have to die too."

"If you are dead, I am dead. That's what the tether means. I can't live without you. Literally."

"But you could, you could live without me."

This time when she pulled away, he let her go. "And what kind of life would that be Darien? Wandering around as an unkillable monster? A demon? I would kill people Darien. I would kill them and not even flinch. Is that the kind of existence you want for me?"

He looked away, staring at the ground. "I just want you to live. I don't want you to die along with me."

She took his face in her hands, lifting his head to meet her gaze, "Then I guess you better not die."

* * *

Okay, I accidentally lied. One more. An epilogue if you will...


	18. Chapter 18

So...some of you might ask, Aya, is there a third part to this. And the answer is, yes. That said, I'm turning this into an original and the third part will go with it. Sad to say you will have to read the series if I ever get it published. If not, I'll post it here for you guys. #Sorrynotsorry LOL!

For the last time (on this fic) thank you so much for reading and hashing this fic out with me Beej88! Even though it wasn't really your type of fic, you still stuck it out and helped me with it. And even lied and told me you loved it LOL! Be sure to check out her new fic guys, It's Always Been You. It is so sweet and sad and loving and just gets you in the feels for real.

This is the end, my friends. For now anyway. Thank you all for R and R and F and F. My next fic is called Poisoned Mind and it uses the Dark Endy trope. Also just finished another fic that I'm really excited about called Motor Girl. Be on the lookout!

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

" _Let me first state forthright that contrary to what we've often read in books and heard from preachers, when you are a woman, you don't feel like the Devil. "_

― _**Orhan Pamuk**_ _,_ _ **My Name is Red**_

 **5 years later…...**

It was a perfect night. The streets were empty, the cobblestone gleaming in the lamp lights. The river flowing beneath the bridge was moving slowly, so slow the moon reflected on its surface almost unbroken. In the distance, the sound of life could be heard, cars on the streets and people talking and shouting at one another. But here, where he stood now it was still and silent, perfect.

The only life in sight walked into his view, the object of his desires. Her long blonde hair fell in curls down the back of the tan trench coat she had wrapped tightly around her. Her black heels clicked on the sidewalk and he couldn't help but notice the slight swish in her stride. Even though it was well hidden, he could tell there was a body that wouldn't quit underneath her clothes.

Her hands went to her waist, loosening the tie to her coat and peeling it off her shoulders. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her tight red dress. The material was thin and clung to her hips and breast. She folded the coat over her arm and continued on her way. Now he followed behind, watching her sway in the moonlight, dreaming of all the things he was going to do to her once he caught her. But for now, he had to wait.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, revealing a peek of her lovely neck, long and tantalizing. He didn't know how much longer he could take it, he was ready to snatch her up right that second. She was still far ahead of him and he did well to keep out of sight.

Still watching her, he almost missed it, the movement to his right. It was fast but he was faster. But still, he waited. He had to wait for just the right moment or it would all go to shit.

The quick movements of the creature in the dark slowed, becoming more like the movements of a human, and it approached her. He was too far away to hear what was said, but it looked as though he was asking her for the time. Such a rookie move.

Her arm out, looking down at her watch instead of him, it grabbed her, pulling her to him in a flash. Now was the time, he would make his move.

Not bothering with looking human, he was on the two of them in a flash. "Are you bothering this beautiful young lady?"

It sneered at him, "I had her first, so fuck off."

Its voice was like gravel and it struggled to put the words together, showing how little it conversed with others. "Actually," they both looked over at her, "He had me first. So sorry about that."

Confused, the creature gripped her tighter, giving her a little shake. Now getting angry, he grabbed the hand that was touching her.

"You really need to let go of my wife….now."

It released its hold on her, but he didn't release his on it. "Aw honey, you're scaring it."

Its eyes went back and forth between the two of them, anger rising as realization set in, "You...you are…..together?"

"Wow...not the brightest bulb in the box now is he?"

It trembled with fear now, shaking so hard it shook him as well. "Oh God...it's..it's you! The Hunters….I've heard of you two….."

"Aw, Honey look, we're famous!"

It tried to pull its arm free from his grasp but found he was trapped. Claws pushed out of his hand, aiming for his arm. Before it could tear through his flesh, she grabbed its other hand, stilling the claws from getting any closer to his arm. The thing probably would have cut straight through his bone if she hadn't stopped it.

With his free hand, he balled into a fist and sent it flying into the creature's face. The power from the hit sent it clear across to the other side of the bridge, its body bouncing and rolling a few feet after it landed. There, it remained still, lying as if it was lifeless on the ground.

She turned to him, her hands on her hips. "'Let's get away for the week', he says. 'A nice little vacation, just you and me'."

As she spoke, she forced her voice to dip low, mocking his own, "Hey, I didn't plan on working while we were here, this just...popped up!"

Her eyebrows furrowed at him, "You mean to tell me that you, Mr. Van Helsing, didn't know before coming all the way here, that there was an honest-to-God bridge troll roaming around? In a huge city like London?"

He had been busted, "Okay, okay so I had heard a few...rumors."

The troll at the other end of the bridge began to switch, starting to rise. "Raye is going to kill me, Jack too, when they hear we took out a Troll. Especially Jack. You know how much he loves the weird and rare ones."

"We just….won't tell them?"

The troll got to its feet and stared at them. "How the hell are we going to keep this a secret? It's a damn troll! Not only that but a bridge troll! Do you know how rare those are? The entire Hunting community is going to hear about this by tomorrow."

"Then we will just have to tell them first instead. Let them know it was a coincidence."

"Like they will believe that," the troll had started to run, trying to get away, and by the look on her face, she was considering it, "Poor thing."

"Poor thing? That thing has eaten five people! And it tried to take my arm!"

"Well, you were the one dicking around and not being careful."

He caressed her cheek, placing a stray hair behind her ear. "Baby, you know I lose it when they touch you."

"Uh huh, Then maybe you should stop using me as bait…..you know it's getting away right?"

"Not for long!"

He ran down the street, using only half his speed to catch up to the battered creature. It was limping heavily, a result of his earlier attack. He pulled out the small blade that rested in his waistband. It took one glance at the blade and smirked.

"That won't kill me."

A smile stretched across his mouth, "I know."

Before the creature could question him, he slammed the blade up to its hilt into its chest. The troll stumbled, gasping before falling to the ground again.

The sound of her heels behind him drew his attention away from his work. She had pulled her coat back onto her shoulders but left it open, revealing the dress and her body beneath it. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, going under the coat and playing with the thin material on her back.

"You look amazing by the way."

She huffed, "I was promised dinner and dancing."

"We can still catch a late dinner, but I'm afraid the dancing will have to be a private one, back in our room."

She blushed, something she always did and it drove him crazy to this day. "What are you going to do with that?"

He followed her pointed finger, even though he already knew exactly what she was talking about, "I'm going to tie him up to the side of the bridge. The sunlight will finish him off and he will turn to sand and crumble before anyone really notices."

"Hmm...looks like you've got it all figured out."

She pulled out of his embrace, turning and walking away from him. This time, she swished purposefully as she walked away, knowing he was watching.

"Hurry up dear, I'm hungry."

* * *

So the third part is going to have more of the Hunter half-vamp couple duo in action. And a little crazy stuff. It's gonna be great. I hope I get to writing it someday :(


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